Harry Potter and the Weapon of Atlantis
by Luminous Sun
Summary: The Governors of Atlantis designed him for conquest, built him as an engine of war, and used as an invincible power. Seven hundred thousand years later, he was sealed away by the four founders of Hogwarts. But after only a thousand years, he was released.
1. Prologue

Prologue

_Seven hundred thousand years ago…_

Finally, after a thousand years of war, they had it.

The vertex of magical warfare.

The epitome of magical mastery.

The most dangerous invention ever devised by humanity.

The Weapon of Atlantis.

The _Tersan Anthrias_.

And they used him.

( 0 0 0 )

He had no limit.

He had no morals.

He had only his orders.

A perfect engine of destruction.

The Governors were proud.

Claws of raw magical power ripped across oceans and continents, tearing apart the atmosphere. The Weapon walked across the world, light streaming from him all the way out across the galaxy into the vast depths of the universe.

What began as a quest for world unification had escalated into a war for the right of power over the world. With the Weapon on their side, Atlantis was infallible.

Over the course of a mere decade, the Weapon easily defeated the united countries of the world and brought them together under the power of the Atlantis.

With the conclusion of the war, the Weapon created six avatars embodied with great amounts of his own power.

Four controlled the fundamental powers of existence. Two were never seen.

The four avatars brought the Weapon's power over the entire world with their own unique branch of power given to them by the Weapon.

The world was at peace for over a thousand years until Eslagard, the pacifist nation with unrivaled defensive power, broke away from Atlantian authority and sealed itself from the rest of the world.

It was believed that this simple rebellion could have been easily resolved.

No one knew that this event would mark the fall of the most power civilization to ever exist on the face of the earth.

The Weapon itself lead a force against the nation, waiting for three days for his forces to destroy the nation's shield before taking to the front line himself.

Eslagard fell quickly, its ruling family killed by the Weapon itself. The young prince of Eslagard was captured and taken by the Weapon to the capital of Atlantis, the nameless citadel of the governors. He was never heard from again.

In the last remaining magical records regarding Atlantis, it is said that the nation vanished in a brilliant display of power that overwhelmed the light of the sun. The overflow of power that destroyed Atlantis swept over the world, taking with it the great nations that once fought it.

All that remained were the primitive human tribes left on the farthest corners of the world.

The Weapon was left alone, homeless, without someone to command him. Somehow, in the destruction of the city, he had lost nearly all his memory. He was left to wander the vast lands of the world for nearly half a million years before finally returning to the slowly recovering human society.

By this time, there was no living person who possessed the knowledge of the existence of the Weapon. Atlantis had become so lost in the past it was now shrouded in myth, its only proof of existing came from the greatest wizard that ever lived: Merlin, who had once seen the city while traveling through time. He had tried returning to the city, but the damage to the timestream was so severe that it was impossible to travel back.

The Weapon, now calling himself Tersan Anthrias, had no memory of his origins, nor of the full extent of his powers. With all his avatars scattered save for one, Tersan Anthrias could only wander aimlessly among magical societies.

One day, he stumbled upon a magical castle, built by the four greatest sorcerers of the time: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Here, Tersan Anthrias thought he could finally rest in peace and wait for his avatars to return. However, his wish was short lived.

A group of magic-hating muggles had sided with radical wizards who hated the four founders of Hogwarts for bringing their power over the land. Together, they launched a violent attack against the school that lead to the deaths of hundreds of students and the near death of Godric Gryffindor, who single-handedly held back the murderous wizards from the rest of the surviving students.

Seeing the power of the founders waver, Tersan Anthrias left his quiet room from where he had been observing in the castle and entered the battle. Though he was using only a meager fraction of his true powers, Tersan's actions horrified the founders so much that they finally decided that Tersan had to be sealed away from the rest of the world for the sake of all other life.

Years later, after Tersan had sent away his sole remaining avatar to search for the others, the founders launched their attack. Caught off guard, Tersan Anthrias succumbed to their power and was sealed away inside the castle itself, within the Chamber of Isolation.

The founders told no other living soul of this and knew that the Chamber could only be opened from the outside with all four of their powers combined. Though they hoped that Tersan would be kept safely away from the prying eyes of the world forever, they would never know the magnitude of what had been set in motion that very day…


	2. First Contact

First Contact

Lightning crackled and rain fell onto the ordinary house of number four Privet Drive. Well, the house was ordinary from the outside, but the most extraordinary thing was _inside_ the house. It is within this nondescript house lived sixteen year-old Harry James Potter, the most famous person known in the wizarding world. Why is he so famous? Because he survived a direct blast from the Killing Curse and is now being pursued by the most powerful dark wizard on the planet.

Harry lay on his bed, waiting impatiently for the summer holiday to pass. The Dursleys hadn't bothered him much, probably because of his privilege to use magic from Moody's unexpected visit.

_Flashback_

The Dursleys had been watching television in the living room when Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody Apparated with a loud _CRACK_ directly in front of the TV set. Uncle Vernon gave a yelp of terror and leapt up from his chair. Dudley squealed and toppled backwards in his chair, crushing it on impact. Aunt Petunia gave a scream and leapt up from her chair to Uncle Vernon's side. Dudley remained on the floor.

Moody gazed at them with his normal eye while his sinister looking eye revolved menacingly in its socket.

"_Potter. Where is he?" _

Uncle Vernon blubbered something in a high-pitched voice before pointing up, indicating the second floor.

Moody didn't respond as he simply walked out of the room and up the stairs to Harry's room. Stopping at Harry's door, Moody rapped on the door.

"Harry?" he called out. There was an exclamation of surprise from behind the door, then a small crash before it opened.

"Moody?" Harry stood in the doorway, looking at Moody with joy. "What are you doing here?"

Moody regarded Harry with both eyes for a moment before answering. "Harry, the ministry has finally agreed to lift the Decree of Underage Sorcery on you. You can now do anything you feel is necessary." He paused. "Well, not anything. Just don't cast any of the Unforgivables or kill anyone."

Harry laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Moody turned around and headed out of the room and down the stairs. Harry followed.

"Um, Professor, will I be going anywhere for the rest of the summer?" Harry asked.

Without turning around, Moody answered, "Only if it is necessary. For the time being, you are safest here. And don't call me professor, I never did got around to teaching ever since that scum stuck me in my own trunk."

Harry didn't know what to say.

"I have to leave now," Moody growled. "Take care Harry." With a loud _CRACK,_ Moody Disapparated.

"_So, you are alone now."_

Harry turned around. "Oh, it's you," he said with disgust.

Uncle Vernon had appeared in the room with a murderous look in his eyes. "How many time have I told you not to have any of your FREAK friends in here!"

Harry stood his ground. "So many times that I am not surprised if I opened a wine bottle, you would think one of our kind came here."

Uncle Vernon turned several shades deeper in red. "If you bring anymore of your FREAK-"

"A _freak_ am I?"

Moody had appeared again. "So, you think we are some kind of _filth_ under your foot? Well, let me tell you something. It is because of us you are still alive. If wizards didn't exist, the entire world would fall into chaos. Creatures beyond your darkest imaginations and nightmares would roam freely across the world."

Noting the fear growing on Uncle Vernon's face, Moody added in a whisper, "Yes…that's right…"

By now, Moody's expression had turned truly sinister, and the smile that accompanied it amplified it even more. Uncle Vernon had backed up into the wall, whimpering and blubbering. Harry knew he had to step in before Moody got carried away.

"Um, Moody, what are you still doing here?" Harry asked.

Moody gave Uncle Vernon a last glare before turning to Harry. "I have a letter from the ministry to give to this _slimeball_ here," he said, indicating the trembling Vernon. "To inform him about your," he paused, "_magical_ freedom."

He handed the trembling Vernon the letter and Disapparated for the final time.

End Flashback 

Now all he had to do was wait for the summer holiday to pass. Harry sighed. It wasn't easy waiting when time seemed to crawl by like a tired snail.

After a while of listening to the steady drumming of the rain, Harry began to feel his eyes grow heavy…

Harry found himself standing on a metal platform the size of two football fields placed next to each other. Above him, around him, just about everywhere he could see, were clouds. A blue sky filled with white clouds; the sun nowhere to be seen.

"What is this place?" he muttered. Walking toward the nearest edge, he looked down and gasped. There was another surface leading down. It was then he noticed the corner of the strange platform. He walked over to it and gave a cry of astonishment.

"This-this is a giant metal cube!" he breathed. In his astonishment, Harry didn't pay attention to where he was walking.

He slipped off the edge. Instead of falling down however, Harry found himself falling forward, and landing on the metal surface that was just under him in a crumpled heap.

_Ow._ Harry stood up and walked slowly away from the edge, careful not to step off again.

_I have got to be careful here. _Harry thought. _Even though I can't fall, I can still hurt myself._

The cube gave a sudden lurch, throwing Harry to the "floor." Before he could react, the cube lurched again, this time in the opposite direction. There was a metallic groaning noise, followed by a violent jolt.

"Please no more. Please no more," Harry cried out desperately. To his surprise, the cube went still. Just then, he noticed a figure in the distance, sprawled out on the ground.

Harry ran to the fallen figure and stopped. It was a young boy, who looked about the age of twelve, dressed in a silvery robe.

"Are you alright?" Harry called out to him. The boy stirred, then opened his eyes.

The boy gave a yelp and leapt to his feet and backed away from Harry.

"Who are you! How did you get here!" the boy demanded.

Harry stared at the boy, shocked. "I-I don't know. I just found myself here," Harry said nervously.

The boy's eyes narrowed. "Impossible. You cannot just appear here. I ask again. Who are you?"

"H-Harry Potter," said Harry.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked briskly.

"I told you. I don't know." Harry was starting to get annoyed. He was not about to be pushed around by some kid.

Suddenly, as the boy locked his eyes onto Harry's own, he felt a tingling sensation, as though someone were trying to look into his mind using Legilimency. Instinctively, he raised his Occlumency shields. Instead of blocking the mental probing, Harry felt the tingling sensation turn piercing. His shields crumbled and the mental probe seared into his mind.

He felt the scan burn into his mind as he saw his memories pass by rapidly. Being beaten by Dudley and his gang, the first letter from Hogwarts, fighting Quirrell, the basilisk, his godfather, and the tri-wizard tournament.

As the memories came to the events in the Department of Mysteries, Harry felt the probe slow down to analyze the events more carefully, then moved on again. Desperately, Harry tried to break away from the gaze, but he was frozen in place. Harry feared that the boy would see everything in his life, especially his private memories and thoughts. However, the moment the probe scanned the memory of the prophecy, the mental probing quickly retracted.

"What was that for?" Harry demanded, gasping for breath.

"I didn't know!" the boy pleaded. "Please. I'm so-"

"Do not EVER do that again!" Harry shouted, nearly losing his temper.

The boy nodded. "Please. I'm sorry for doing that."

Harry took several deep breaths before answering. "Alright. Just keep out of my head."

"Certainly."

"So what's your name anyway?" Harry asked.

The boy looked confused. "M-my name?"

"You don't know your own name?" Harry asked incredulously.

"I know my name," the boy snapped. "It's just been years since I last thought or spoke of it."

"Then-"

"Tersan Anthrias," the boy interjected. "My name is Tersan Anthrias."

Harry smiled. They were finally getting somewhere.

"Well Tersan, would you like to tell me what this place is?" Harry inquired.

"The Chamber of Isolation," replied Tersan.

"What's the Chamber of Isolation?"

Tersan looked at Harry with amusement. "What does the name suggest?"

Harry glared at him, only to invoke a chuckle from Tersan. Suddenly, boy's eyes widened, as though realizing something.

"You can get me out of here!" Tersan exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry uneasily. "Are you stuck here?"

Tersan turned serious. "I have been within this ream for over one thousand years. I no longer wish to stay, and I see that you can help me."

"How?" Harry asked cautiously. "And why were you placed here in the first place?"

"I will provide you with a key that is only operational on the outside of this realm. It will activate when you are in the appropriate location and time," Tersan informed him.

Tersan pointed his finger at Harry's wrist and muttered an enchantment. Light erupted from his wrist in lines, forming unrecognizable arcane writings and runes.

Harry looked at the key, which was inscribed painlessly around his wrist.

"And where is this location?" Harry asked, after looking up from the symbols.

"The entrance to the Great Hall in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."


	3. More Than Just A Key

More than just a key

Harry woke with a start, breathing heavily.

_Damn, what a dream, _Harry thought. _It was very vivid though. I wonder if- NO. That was a dream and that's final._

"It was a dream," Harry said aloud. "I had a dream about some strange kid stuck on a giant metal cube."

Harry got up from his bed and walked to his window. The rain had stopped and the sun was setting. Suddenly, Harry remembered the key that had been written onto his wrist in his dream.

Feeling slightly silly, he raised his sleeve to look at his wrist, expecting to see nothing. The moment his wrist was uncovered, Harry gave a strangled cry.

"N-no, it's not possible!"

There it was, written upon his wrist, was the key. Harry drew in a deep breath, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. He closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. The key was still there

_It can't be. But if that wasn't a dream, what was it? _ Harry wondered. _Is that boy, Tersan, actually trapped in there?_

Harry gave a sigh of disgust and fell back on his bed.

"It's always me, isn't it?" Harry grumbled. Unintentionally, Harry allowed his irritation to escalate to anger.

An explosion sounded from downstairs and Uncle Vernon's bellow of rage followed shortly after.

"BOY! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Harry groaned and dragged himself into the living room. Arriving there, Harry saw the source of the explosion.

Uncle Vernon was standing in the living room next to what looked like the remains of a once brand-new television set.

"_How many times have I told you not to do any of your FREAK stuff in this house?" _rumbled Uncle Vernon. The overweight lump was so angry he could barely speak.

"What's the matter?" Harry teased. "So angry you melted your tongue?"

Something in Uncle Vernon snapped. With a roar, Uncle Vernon launched himself at Harry, his hands reaching out towards his neck.

The last thing Harry had expected from Uncle Vernon was an attack, so he found himself unable to move as his uncle came closer and closer. Suddenly, his right arm moved of its own accord.

It raised itself up toward Uncle Vernon and his hand opened, palm facing the madman. Suddenly, the key's symbols flared with white light.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Abruptly, Uncle Vernon slammed into an invisible barrier, looking very bizarre as his large mass expanded across the shield on the impact. Uncle Vernon was still expanding when Harry's hand closed into a fist.

Once again, the runes flared with light, but this time in red. A colorless circular ripple exploded from his fist and struck Uncle Vernon squarely in the chest, creating a shockwave that expanded from the impact point out to the rest of the body.

Uncle Vernon flew back at a tremendous speed, lifting up into the air by the sheer force of the spell.

Everything returned to normal speed.

With crushing impact, the spell drove Uncle Vernon across the room, through the wall, and into the next room: the dining room.

It took a full minute for Harry to return to his senses. He had blown his overweight uncle through a wall!

Leaving the unconscious Uncle Vernon where he was, Harry strode back to his room, looking at the key in admiration.

"Damn. I wish I had this sooner. Would've make life a whole lot happier."

Harry laughed all the way up to his room.

The next morning, Harry woke up early to prepare for the Order members, who were coming to pick him up for school. He looked around his room at the scattered schoolwork and materials in irritation.

"It's going to take me a hell of a long time to get all this together," he complained. An inspiration came to mind. He remembered when Tonks had packed his trunk with a wave of her wand.

Pulling out his wand, Harry waved it and said clearly, "Pack."

Harry had expected the key to do something to amplify the spell. What he did not expect was for the key to glow blue and pack everything _neatly_ into the trunk, unlike Tonks's mess pile.

_Maybe this thing helps with whatever spell I cast, and even protect me from other threats,_ Harry thought to himself.

"I wonder how useful this would be in a duel," said Harry. A picture of him blasting Malfoy out the Great Hall, through the window, and into the lake came to mind.

Harry blinked. "Well, maybe not like _that_," he said with a chuckle.

After checking around his room for any remaining materials, Harry headed down to the dining room to wait for the Order member's arrival. As Harry entered the dining room, he noticed that the hole in the wall was still there, with the exception of Uncle Vernon's presence. There was a crater where the dining table used to be; it must have been the place where Uncle Vernon had landed.

Harry walked over to the wall and was surprised to see several broken metal supports.

"Wow. I must have really hit him real hard," Harry evaluated.

POP.

Harry whirled around with his wand in hand and found it pointed straight at Remus Lupin.

"Harry," Remus greeted, eying Harry's wand warily.

"Oh, hi Remus," Harry said, hastily returning his wand to his pocket.

"Are you ready to go?"

Harry nodded. "My trunk is next to the door. How are we getting to the platform?"

"Portkey," said Remus. He reached into his pocket and took out a ruler.

"On the count of three. One…two…three."

Harry felt the jerk under his navel. The next thing he felt was his feet slamming into the ground and falling over.

Remus chuckled and helped him up.

"Why do I always do that?" Harry asked, wincing from his fall.

"I don't know. Maybe because you are not balancing yourself right," Remus answered.

"What do you mean, balancing?"

"The portkey tends to twirl you a bit when you land, so you brace your legs apart and prepare to turn with it," Remus explained.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

This time, Remus laughed. "Well, we thought that it was a bit funny to see you, Voldemort's most hated enemy, knocked down by a mere portkey."

"Whose idea was this? The twins?"

Remus laughed even harder. "Oh no. Not them. It was Ron. Ever since you stumbled for the first time during the World Quidditch Cup, Ron always thought you looked a bit, well not a bit, funny whenever you fall after using the portkey. That's why we never told you how to maintain your balance when you land using a portkey."

Harry gave tried to give Remus a cold glare, but instead burst out laughing. After a while, Remus told Harry that they should get going before they missed the school train.

"So Remus, I'll be seeing you in the summer?" Harry asked.

"No Harry," Remus chuckled again. "I'm going to be teaching there."

"You will?" Harry exclaimed. "Which position?"

"The only one that is ever open at every school year's beginning," Remus replied.

Harry was overjoyed. "Are you going to ride the train with us?"

Remus gave him a funny look. "I only did that the first time I went to Hogwarts. There is a teacher's lounge in the front, where I am supposed to go. I'll see you at school though."

Harry nodded in response and they both walked through the barrier.

"By the way Remus, why didn't the muggles notice us when we porkeyed in?" Harry asked.

Remus pointed to his robes. "Muggle repelling charms."

"Why?"

"I'm wearing wizards' robes and I look rather messy," Remus said blandly. "How well do you think I would blend with muggles?"

Harry was about to reply when screams split the air. Harry whirled around with his wand in hand to parents and students alike were running from a crowd of figures in black robes.

"Death Eaters!"

There were at least fifty of them. Curses and hexes alike erupted from their wands, taking down parents and students.

"Harry!" shouted Remus. "Get onto the train!"

But it was too late. More Death Eaters had Apparated onto the platform, cutting off the path to the train.

"Stupefy!" Harry shouted. As expected, the key flared white. The result was not as anticipated.

Harry watched in astonishment as the stunning spell came out in an entirely different form. The stunning spell shot forth not as a beam, but as a jagged claw of red orange lightning.

Death Eaters who conjured powerful shields were able to escape the wrath of the blast. Others weren't so lucky as the bolt seared into them as a normal lightning bolt would, arcing from person to person, vaporizing flesh and scorching bone as the spell made contact.

Of the thirty that had Apparated in, only fourteen of them stood. There was a momentary silence as everyone saw the result of Harry's spell.

Then all hell broke loose. Every Death Eater on the platform started to throw powerful curses in his direction.

"Protego!" Harry cried out. A blinding white shield appeared in front of him, deflecting the curses. Even with the power from the key, the shield charm started to collapse.

In one collective blast, the Death Eaters shattered the barrier. Once again, they started hurling their curses toward Harry.

_I can't keep this up._ Harry thought desperately. A killing curse lanced toward him, interrupting his thoughts and forced him to dodge, which was virtually impossible, considering the sheer amount of spells coming at him. Remus was nowhere to be seen.

As the killing curse flew over his head, Harry screamed in frustration.

Then everything went silent. Harry slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Everything was frozen, as though time itself had stopped. The curses were holding position in midair. Harry nearly fainted when he saw the amount of spells that would have struck him if whatever held everything in place was late.

"W-what, h-how?" Harry asked stupidly.

_Let me guide you._

Harry whirled around. "Who's there?"

_Not who. What._

Harry finally noticed that the voice was not spoken, but rather heard in his own head.

"Okay, what are you?" Harry asked.

_I am the key of infinity. My purpose is to unlock all locks in the world._

Key! Harry raised his wrist and looked at it. Sure enough, there was light coming from it, but this time in a different manner. Light was coming from _behind_ the key's symbols, unlike before the light had came out of the symbols themselves, giving the key the appearance of hovering above the wrist. Suddenly, the writings started to rotate in different directions, some in one, others elsewhere.

_My secondary purpose is to assist my wielder whenever I can._

"So that's why I could do these strange things. I had thought that you were just some amplifier."

_That is part of my function. To amplify and enhance anything you may try to do._

"If you can assist me," Harry said slowly. "Can you help me? I'm kinda in a tight spot."

_Of course. I can help you. Let me guide you. _

"Alright. I accept," Harry said.

Harry felt a presence in his mind like something was covering his brain and sinking into it. Abruptly, Harry felt another mind merge with his own, one that that seemed almost mechanical.

They became one.


	4. Together as One

A/N: Thank you becky red for your kind reviews. Just as a side note, most of the spells used in this chapter are actual Latin. Some words may have been modified for it to flow smoothly.

This chapter is supposed to show how powerful the key is, and yet extremely simple.

Power of the Key

Time resumed.

"_AUGUSTUS EXEO!" _Harry bellowed. Instantly, the clouds parted, releasing a beam of white light that suddenly blazed from the sky and enveloped Harry, absorbing the curses.

Startled by the sudden escalation in Harry's power and unknown spells, the Death Eaters paused. Harry took advantage of this.

Harry pointed his wand at a cluster of Death Eaters and muttered, _"Discutio."_

The Death Eaters exploded in a shower of blood, flesh, organs, and bones. Without hesitation, Harry shifted his aim and cast his next spell.

"_Aboleo!" _His wand bucked and shot forth a small yellow pulse. The Death Eaters, having seen what Harry was capable of up, hastily erected shields. Harry smirked as the pulse passed cleanly through the shields and into the mass of Death Eaters, detonating with enough force to split Hogwarts in half.

Witnessing what Harry was capable of, the Death Eaters resorted to using the most powerful curses they knew of.

This time, Harry was forced jump aside as several killing curses sped toward him from the Death Eaters, who were now getting desperate.

Harry flicked his wand. The sheer power alone from the spell alone was capable of wiping out all the Death Eaters at once, had they remained in a single mob.

They scattered.

A violent explosion erupted from the ground, creating a twenty-meter wide and seven meter deep crater.

As many as Harry had taken out, there were still many Death Eaters left. Another jet of green light flashed toward him. Harry simply stepped aside and the curse struck another Death Eater.

"Stupid idiots," Harry muttered. He was wondering why the Death Eaters he was fighting were so weak when twenty more Death Eaters Apparated in.

The Inner Circle had arrived.

In unison, the Death Eaters sent killing curses at him. Harry ducked under them and sent another spell in response.

"_Lapidesco!" _

None of the Inner Circle were hit by the silver beam, but other Death Eaters who did crumbled to dust instantly.

"So, Potter has learned a few tricks," one of the Death Eaters said.

Harry paused and shouted back, "Well, look who's here. Lucius Malfoy, father of the ferret boy."

"Surrender now Potter, I may release your friends if you do," Malfoy offered.

"Perhaps not. You will leave now, or face the same fate as those you see around you," Harry countered. .

"Then you leave us no…" Malfoy left off. He realized that something was very wrong. Something very wrong with Potter.

"Lucius, be careful," a woman whispered from his right. "Potter, he is different."

"I know Bella, I feel it too. It's like he's a different person," Malfoy whispered back. "Do you think he is actually someone in Polyjuice?"

"Well, considering all the damage he's done here, most likely," Bellatrix said.

Harry watched Malfoy speak to another Death Eater, a female, most likely Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Are you done talking to each other yet?" Harry called out. "I have better things to do you know."

Malfoy turned to Harry. "Let us begin then!"

Harry and Malfoy took dueling stances and started circling.

"_Accio wand!" _Harry muttered. Malfoy was startled when his wand started to slip out of his grasp, but managed to yell out the shield charm, ending the summoning charm.

"Unusual trick Potter, but it will take more than that," hissed Malfoy.

Harry didn't speak, but gave Malfoy a calculating look, which unsettled him.

Malfoy pointed his wand at a portion of the floor and gave it a flick. The ground rippled and melted into a large molten mass. He waved his wand and the molten material expanded rapidly toward Harry.

Harry didn't even bother to step back or cast a spell for protection. He simply stepped onto the "lava."

"Impossible! It must be some sort of a trick," Malfoy breathed. Then he realized Harry was actually floating _above_ the molten rock.

Pointing his wand at the "lava," Harry said, _"Glacio!"_

A jet of blue light enveloped the molten mass, flash freezing it. Harry lowered to the ground, crushing ice under his shoes.

"_Crucio!" _shouted Malfoy.

Harry dodged to the side and aimed his wand at Malfoy's. _"Termino crucio!"_

Malfoy had no idea what Harry had cast as well as the spell being colorless. Raising his wand, he shouted again, _"Crucio!"_

To his astonishment, his wand trembled, but the Cruciatus Curse refused to be cast.

"What did you did to my wand, Potter?" demanded Malfoy.

"I locked out the Cruciatus Curse. Now you can't cast it for the next four weeks," Harry answered. "I can restrict any spell as I see fit, and I can think of one right now. _Termino Avada Kedavra!_"

Malfoy growled and pointed his wand at Harry. _"Tormenta!" _

"_Diverto!"_ yelled Harry. The sickly black curse seemed to strike an angled surface and rebounded away from Harry, striking yet another Death Eater.

"Malfoy, if you hadn't noticed," said Harry. "Every curse you throw at me always seems to strike another one of your own."

"_Reducto!" _Malfoy screamed. This time, Harry sent the spell straight back at Malfoy, forcing him to dodge to the side.

"Perhaps you should use a broader range of spells Lucy," Harry taunted.

Malfoy bellowed in rage and shouted, _"Avada Kedavra!"_

Harry could only shake his head as the restriction charm locked in the curse. Malfoy's wand started to emit a sickly green color, growing brighter and brighter. Suddenly, his wand exploded, destroying Malfoy's arm.

Suddenly, Harry's expression turned serious, very serious.

"It is time I ended this."

Harry raised his wand and released a multitude of deadly curses. The Death Eaters who were watching fell rapidly, bursting apart physically or into flames of various colors.

"SHIELDS! GET YOUR SHIELDS UP!" Bellatrix screamed. Altogether, the Death Eaters raised their wands and erected a variety of different colored shields, deflecting the curses.

"Can't get us now eh, Potter?" Malfoy managed to gasp.

Harry simply leveled his wand at the center of the shield.

"_Transigo!" _With a piercing screech, a bolt of yellow light shot from Harry's wand and into the shields. It blew cleanly through and splattered the Death Eaters directly behind the blast.

"STRONGER SHIELDS DAMMIT! AS STRONG AS YOU CAN GET IT!" Bellatrix shrieked. Harry was pleased to hear the fear behind her voice.

More shields snapped into existence, much brighter and larger this time.

Harry narrowed his eyes and repeated his spell. This time, it only caused a large ripple in the shields, but no apparent damage was visible.

"Looks like we…" Bellatrix went silent, clearly not wanting to anger Harry even more.

But it was too late. Harry had heard her.

"It is time you died Bellatrix, for murdering my godfather," Harry said coldly.

Pointing his wand directly at Bellatrix, Harry roared, _"TRANSADIGO!" _

Black light started swirling around Harry's wand, building up size and speed rapidly. After a full second, the light was rotating so fast it looked like an inverted vortex. With the force of a cannon, it fired from his wand like a rotating drill and slammed into the shield.

Black lightning erupted from the impact, shattering the rest of the shields. The black spiral continued on, but Bellatrix had moved, avoiding injury.

The rest of the Death Eaters however, weren't so lucky. Over half of them lay dead or dying on the ground.

Suddenly, every surviving Death Eater held an object of some sort.

"ACTIVATE!" Malfoy screamed. Instantly, every one of the living Death Eaters porkeyed away, leaving an enraged Harry and a devastated platform.

"Harry! Are you all right?"

Harry turned around to see Dumbledore, Moody, Tonks, and dozens of Order members Apparate onto the platform.

"What happened here?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry gestured around. "Death Eater attack."

"_Death Eater attack?"_ Moody gasped. "This looks more like a muggle war zone than a Death Eater attack."

"Harry, did you do all this?" asked Tonks.

"Yes. I did all this. And no, I am not going to tell you how I did it," Harry muttered with annoyance.

"Out with it Potter," a voice spat out from behind him.

"Now Serverus, we don't need that-" Dumbledore started to say, but Harry interrupted.

"If he wants to see, I'll show him," he said. _"Transigo!"_

Snape raised a shield instinctively, but was forced to move aside in shock as the spell drove through the shield effortlessly.

"How did you do that?" demanded Snape.

"You mean penetrate your shield?" Harry asked with amusement. "Are you blind? I cast a spell, you raised a shield, and the spell broke through it. How else did I do it?"

Dumbledore frowned at him. "Harry, there is no need for that kind of language here. However, I too, am interested in how you learned these spells."

"I have already told you Professor," said Harry. "I will not tell you how I can do this."

"Harry-"

"ENOUGH!" Harry suddenly screamed, panting heavily. "That is none of your concern. Cease your inquiries or I will silence you."

Tonks stared at him, stunned.

"Harry, you've changed. What happened to you?" asked Tonks.

"None of your concern," Harry repeated coldly. "What I will do here is repair the damage and heal those who are injured."

"A simple _Reparo _will not repair the extent of the damage here, Harry," said Dumbledore. "This place will require extensive repair work, not to mention the damaged anti-muggle wards."

Harry looked at the ancient wizard and said, "Well, what about this? _Redintegro!_"

Immediately, scattered fragments of various objects, pieces of the floor, and everything else that were broken flew back to where they once were. Scorch marks, blood splatters, various damage, all cleared in the first few seconds. The crater that Harry had made filled itself back up with new concrete and smoothed itself.

In less than thirty seconds, all visible damage to the platform was gone. There was no evidence of a battle ever taking place, except for the scattered bodies of the Death Eaters.

Dumbledore could only look around in wonder. How had this sixteen year-old boy accomplish such a task in such a short amount of time while he himself would have taken at least ten minutes to do the same?

"I-I don't believe this."

"Yes, it's hard to believe isn't it?" Harry said with a smile. "But, it's done."

Slowly, all around them, the surviving parents and students started cheering.

"_Harry! Harry! Harry!"_

Harry groaned and looked to Dumbledore. "I hate publicity."

Moody laughed. Slowly, the rest of the Order left to clean up the numerous fallen bodies, leaving only Harry and Dumbledore.

Harry's eyes suddenly widened.

"_Where's Remus?"_

Dumbledore smiled. "Not to worry Harry. He is safe and sound at Headquarters."

"How did he get there?"

"It must have been something you did," said the headmaster, looking at Harry.

Harry looked genuinely confused. "But, I didn't do anything!"

"Harry, what were you thinking, or feeling, when the Death Eaters first attacked?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry thought for a moment. "I wanted Remus to go somewhere safe, someplace where I will not worry about him."

Smiling, Dumbledore replied, "Well, imagine his surprise when he appeared in the kitchen of Headquarters. He informed us of the attack and we left immediately."

"Wait. You left immediately? But why did it take you so long to get here?" Harry asked.

"What are you talking about so long?" Snape spoke up from behind him. "We arrived here in two minutes."

"_Two minutes? Then that must meant I did all this…"_ Harry gasped.

"Incredibly fast, yes," Moody wheezed. "Potter, are you aware there are over fifty dead Death Eaters here?"

"N-no. Not at all," Harry replied, shocked.

Scowling, Moody walked off to clean up the remaining bodies.

"Harry, take this," whispered Dumbledore. He pressed a rock fragment into Harry's hand. "This portkey will take you directly to Hogwarts. Wait for me there."

Harry could only nod as Dumbledore counted down. "Three…two…one."

There was a jerk below his naval and Harry whirled away.


	5. An Unknown Relative

A/N: Thank you cocacolalord for your review. I have reviewed your story as well. By the way, the key is located on Harry's right wrist. Sorry I forgot to mention that in the earlier chapters.

A Forgotten Relative

Harry feet hit the ground, but didn't fall this time thanks to Remus's advice. He looked around and saw that he had arrived in Dumbledore's office. Walking over to the door, Harry gripped the doorknob with his left hand and turned.

It didn't move. Dumbledore was trying to keep him in his office again.

"Not this time," Harry muttered under his breath.

"Welcome back Harry Potter," said a cool voice. "Gotten yourself into trouble again have you?"

"Be silent Phineas," Harry snapped. "What I have done ensured the survival of many people, not that you would care."

"And I thought Dumbledore held you in such great esteem. What has he done now that has prompted your anger?" asked Phineas.

Harry glared at the portrait before answering. "He is attempting to keep me in his office again. I will not tolerate this."

Phineas laughed. "Ah…but you are will not be leaving here until Dumbledore releases you."

"That is what he believes. He shall now see that I will NOT be contained at his whim," Harry said with a smile.

"And just how will you accomplish that?"

Harry smirked. "Like this."

Seizing the doorknob with his right hand, he twisted. Sparks flew from around the knob, but the power of the key broke the seal.

The door opened. Harry turned around to face a flabbergasted array of portraits. "When Dumbledore arrives, you can tell him that I will no longer be kept where I do not wish to be kept."

With that, Harry left.

Phineas looked at the doors as they slowly closed again.

"Not bad…"

Harry was walking through corridors when the key spoke to him again.

_Do you require additional assistance?_

"Not right now. I'll call you when I need help," said Harry.

_I shall retract my guidance now._

When the guidance left his mind, Harry felt dizzy and fell against the corridor. There was a hollow feeling in his mind, like memories had suddenly been taken out of his mind. Harry racked his brains and found memories _were_ missing. The memories he had lost were the unusual spells that the key had enabled him to use.

"Umm, key, can I have the knowledge for the spells that I used on the platform?" Harry asked aloud, feeling silly.

_Do you need them?_

"Not really. I'd just like to know them," Harry answered.

_Certainly._

Harry gasped as he felt information flood his mind. Unlike the time on the platform, the information had just appeared. Spell after spell, the knowledge flooded his mind until he felt he could take no more. Luckily, the stream stopped.

"Oh wow. I had no idea you knew so much!" Harry had trouble thinking; there was so much unorganized data in his mind.

_I know what I need to know to assist my wielder. Is there anything else?_

Harry thought for a moment. "Well, not right- Wait. Can you increase my Occlumency skills?" he requested.

_Occlumency? From what I can see within your mind, to me, Occlumency appears to be rather primitive. No insult to your instructor, of course._

Laughing, Harry said, "Be my guest to ridicule my insult my instructor at will." He paused. "What did you mean though, about Occlumency being primitive?"

_Occlumency appears primitive because it requires you to clear you mind. It also only creates a mental barrier around you mind. Nothing else. I can bless you with the full power of Mindcraft._

"What's Mindcraft?" Harry asked, suddenly very interested.

_Mindcraft is the complete control over the mind, strictly speaking, your own. In addition, the barriers you set up do not necessarily have to be just a wall. You can place traps on your barriers, as well as spike your barriers._

"Spike my barriers?"

_When another person is looking within your mind and strike a barrier, they normally encounter a flat surface. A spiked barrier is a surface riddled with spikes. Therefore, instead of striking a flat surface, the intruder will encounter the spikes, resulting in pain, often excruciating. This way, it is much easier to fend off and repel any attacks on your mind._

"That can be useful, especially against Voldemort," Harry pointed out. "Imagine him, trying to invade my mind, running into a blockade of excruciating pain." Harry burst out laughing.

_Yes, it can be used as such. The traps I mentioned earlier are curses that you can integrate into the spikes to enhance the barrier's effectiveness._

Harry stopped laughing as he came to a startling realization. "What about Dumbledore? Will he run into the enhanced barrier as well as the curses?"

_Anyone who looks into your mind without your consent will suffer the consequences._

Harry blinked. "Well, let's get on with this then."

_Be prepared. This type of power is very powerful and difficult to control when uploaded like this._

Harry braced himself. The rush of power he felt this time was completely different. He a curious sensation, as though metal plates pieced themselves over his mind. The next was must unusual. When the mental spikes extended from the barriers, Harry felt the protection they offered. Noting the near infinite sharpness of them, Harry shuddered to think what would happen if someone were to impale their mind on them.

"Thanks. I guess that will be all for now," said Harry.

"Potter, who are you talking to?"

Startled, Harry whirled around with his wand in hand. "Oh, sorry Professor McGonagall. I didn't know it was you."

The professor gave him a funny look. "It's quite alright. How did you get here and who were you talking to?"

"Dumbledore sent me here through a portkey," Harry said. "And I wasn't talking to anyone. I had no idea that I said it out loud," he added, feigning embarrassment.

"Yes," Professor McGonagall said slowly. "Albus informed me of the event at the platform using an owl. Frankly, I'm surprised that you survived without a visible scratch on you. Are you hiding any injuries from me?"

Harry laughed. "Not at all professor. I'm fine," he said quickly.

Professor McGonagall gave Harry another careful look before walking away.

"By the way Potter, the students have just arrived. You should get down to the Great Hall before the feast begins," she added over her shoulder.

"Yes Professor," Harry mumbled, then paused. "They're here already?"

Harry arrived in the Great Hall in the middle of the sorting. Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly, as Harry noticed.

_Obviously wondering how I got out of his office, _Harry thought with amusement as he sat down at the Gryffindor table, receiving a few stares.

Professor McGonagall gave him a glare for being late before returning to her list.

"Akerns, Eleanor!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Carson, Owen!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Evans, Alexander!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

_Evans?_ Harry thought. _Any relation to Lily Evans? I'm going to have to ask._ Looking up and down the table, he become aware of the absence of Hermione and Ron. Probably in Dumbledore's office. Abruptly, one name caught onto Harry's attention.

"Tersan, Mark!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

_Tersan! He must be related to Tersan Anthrias somehow, _Harry thought furiously. Focusing his gaze on the boy, Harry noted that the two looked very much alike. Both had dark hair and silver eyes, though Mark's was a little light.

After a few more students, the sorting ended. Dumbledore stood up to make his speech.

"As many of you have heard, there was an attack on Platform 9 and ¾. Miraculously, no one has been seriously hurt thanks to one person. That person I am talking about, is of course, Harry Potter," said Dumbledore, looking at Harry.

"Thanks to the quick actions of Harry," Dumbledore continued. "The attack was thwarted and the Death Eaters repelled. So we shall raise our glasses, or goblets, to Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter," the school said in unison. Harry groaned and dropped his head onto the table creating an audible _clunk_, causing others around him to burst out in laughter.

The feast was over now and Harry sat next to the fire in the Gryffindor common room.

"Hate publicity Harry?" a voice asked from behind him. Harry turned around and smiled.

"Hey Alexander," said Harry.

"Call me Alex," said Alex. "So you're Harry Potter? I've heard a lot about you."

"Yes, I'm Harry. And also yes, I hate publicity," Harry said casually. _Alexander EVANS, _the thought screamed in his mind.

"Alex, are you in any way related to a Lily Evans?" Harry asked slowly.

"Yes…I am. She's my aunt. Why do you ask?" said Alex, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Harry took a deep breath before answering. "Alex, Lily Evans is my mother."

"_You're joking." _

"She has a sister named Petunia Dursley," said Harry.

"Oh. My. God. I'm related to you!" Alex asked abruptly. Slowly, he smiled, then burst out laughing. Throwing his arms around Harry, the boy started crying.

Harry look at Alex uncertainly. "Why are you crying?"

Alex sniffed. "This is one hell of a shock. HOW THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT ME TO STAY CALM!"

"Well, I…," Harry spluttered.

Alex simply laughed. "When will the world ever stop giving me surprises?"

"Never," Harry muttered under his breath, but Alex heard this and burst out laughing again.

"Ah…Dammit," Alex mumbled.

"What?"

"I'm related to the famous Harry Potter," Alex choked out between sobs and laughter. "What now? I'm related to the great Albus Dumbledore?"

Harry laughed. "Most likely not, although I actually have no idea who is in Dumbledore's family. All I do know is that he has a brother by the name of Aberforth."

Alex stopped crying and laughing. "It's getting late, should we be getting up to our dorms?"

Harry nodded and followed Alex up to the dorms.


	6. The Avatars

The Avatars

In the morning, Harry was the first to wake, as he had gotten used to waking early from living with the Dursleys.

_I have got to ask that Mark Tersan if he knows Tersan Anthrias, _Harry thought to himself.

Harry took a look at Alex, who was sleeping in the bed next to him. Harry sighed. His life is full of never-ending surprises.

_What's Alex doing in here? _Harry dismissed the thought. _Probably entered the wrong dorm._

Exiting the boy's dormitory, Harry walked down to the common room, expecting to find it empty. There was one person in the room.

Mark Tersan.

He was sitting in front of the fire, staring into empty space. Harry walked over to him.

"Morning," he said.

The boy jumped up and turned to face him.

"You startled me," said the boy.

"Sorry," apologized Harry. Without bothering with pleasantries, Harry got straight to the point.

"Mark, do you know a Tersan Anthrias?"

The boy gasped and looked intently at him. _"How do you know him?"_

"So you know him."

Suddenly, Harry found himself hanging upside down. "Hey, put me down this instant!"

"How do you know him?" Mark repeated.

"Let me down first!" protested Harry.

Without warning, Harry fell down full force onto the floor.

"I know him," Harry grumbled. "Because I saw him in some sort of vision."

"Where is he?" demanded Mark.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "I'm not telling you anymore unless _you_ tell me you're your relationship to him is."

Mark groaned. "I'm his avatar. I've been searching for Tersan for the past one thousand years. Now please, tell me where he is."

Harry was confused. "What do you mean by, his 'avatar'?" he asked.

"I'm his avatar," Mark sighed. "I was created in the image of him to represent him. What else does an avatar do?"

"Created?" Harry asked blankly.

"I'm an imitation of life, not a machine, but animated conjured flesh, embodied with his power," Mark explained dully. "If you were to dispel me, I would disperse into whatever I was made of."

Harry was about to ask what he was made of, but thought better of it.

"You still haven't answered my question."

Mark's words snapped Harry out of his stupor.

"Tersan is located in the Chamber of Isolation," Harry stated. "The entrance to the chamber is the entrance to the Great Hall."

Suddenly, a piercing high-pitched screeching noise filled the air. Harry screamed in pain as he covered his ears.

"What's going on!" Harry shouted.

Mark held up a hand and the ring abruptly stopped. "The wards of Hogwarts are ringing, but only in this room."

"_Do not release him."_

Mark turned around and helped Harry off the floor.

"Who are you?" asked Mark. "What are you?"

In front of the fireplace, a ghostly image of a man appeared. He was wearing a red and gold robe. On his waist hung a very familiar sword.

"Godric Gryffindor!" Harry asked incredulously. "But it can't be, you died over a thousand years ago."

"I am an afterimage, a memory, of Godric Gryffindor," said the ghost.

"An avatar," Mark scoffed. "A basic avatar, and a pathetic one I might add."

Godric turned to Mark. "I can see that you are an avatar yourself. Might I ask whom you represent?"

Mark gave him a cold glare. "I represent the person you are forbidding us to release."

In the background, Harry watched the arguments between the avatars with fascination. Personally, he had no idea who to side with. On one side was Godric Gryffindor, the head of Gryffindor House and one of the four founders. On the other side was an avatar to a person he barely knew.

"Umm, guys?" Harry spoke up. The avatars turned to him with unnerving looks. Harry took a breath and continued, "If you don't mind, could you mind telling me what's going on?"

Godric spoke first. "Harry James Potter, listen to my words. Do not release the entity that resides within the Chamber of Isolation."

"And why not?" Harry pressed. "What's so dangerous about him?"

The wards rang warningly again before Godric answered. "Tersan Anthrias is the most powerful magical entity to exist on the planet. From our calculations, Tersan's power is so great that he can destroy the entire world."

Mark snorted. "Destroy the world? That would be the last thing he would want to do. You know, he has never actually done anything to you, founder."

Godric's eyes narrowed. "Never actually done anything? He tried to destroy Hogwarts!"

"YOU LIE! THAT'S BECAUSE YOU TRIED TO LOCK HIM UP!" Mark roared. "JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT HE WAS CAPABLE OF!"

"Perhaps you didn't know, but he nearly wiped out the surrounding settlements in that battle," Godric said dangerously. "In addition to that, he tried to sink the continent!"

"It doesn't matter. You cannot stop me," Mark stated firmly.

The wards started ringing again. White light started to blaze from the walls.

"Well then, I am sorry that it has to end this way," Godric said sadly.

Harry was perplexed, "End this way?"

The avatar didn't respond. Instead, he raised his hand and spoke clearly, "I have no choice. Since you will not comply, you will die."

The light increased in intensity until Harry could see nothing but white. Agonizing pain started coursing through him. Harry fell to the ground screaming and writhing. Slowly, he felt his strength ebb away.

"_I am sorry, but I must not allow you to release him,"_ Godric's voice floated through his pain.

"Yes, you will."

Mark stood up from the ground. "You have the choice to release us, but obviously you will choose not to."

Godric looked at him in shock. "You shouldn't be able to stand, let alone speak!"

"There are things that you do not know about me or my source. Die now."

The ghostly avatar suddenly gave a cackling laugh. "Just try then! You can't harm a ghost!"

The walls started crackling with lightning. They started throwing themselves at Mark, to no apparent effect.

Mark raised his hand and pointed a finger at the hostile avatar.

"_Archius!"_

A pure black line lanced from his finger and struck the ghostly Godric. On impact, the ghost was turned black, then white at the exact instant, resulting in a flash.

The Godric avatar vanished, existing no longer. The lightning disappeared and light faded.

Harry stopped screaming and lay gasping. Mark knelt down next to him and muttered, _"Percuro!"_

A glowing blue mist shot out from his palm, enveloping Harry. After a few long seconds, the mist faded away and Harry lay there, blinking at the ceiling.

"What was that?" asked Harry as he sat up.

"A healing charm," Mark replied. He stood up and helped Harry to his feet.

"I've never seen a healing charm like that. And that was also wandless magic!"

Mark was slightly unsettled. "Wandless? What's so surprising with that?"

Harry looked at him. "Not many people can do that. And most of them can only do rudimentary spells, unlike your charm. What kind is it anyway?"

"One that is very different from the type you use. It heals all sorts of ailments: spell damage, physical injuries, poisons from animals and potions, disease, and many other things," Mark explained.

Harry looked around and noticed that the Godric avatar was not present. "What did you do to him?"

"Him-? Oh. I killed him."

"Why?"

Mark gave Harry a funny look. "Because he was trying to kill you?"

"Oh."

Harry looked down at the floor for a full minute. "So, you are an actual avatar of Tersan?"

"Yes."

"What's he like?" asked Harry.

"What am I like?"

Harry stared at him before realizing the utter stupidity of his question. "Oh sorry. I forgot that you are made in his image. I forgot that you were an avatar. You just seem so, well, _human_."

Mark blinked in surprise and smiled warmly. "Thank you, Harry."

"Why did you thank me?" Harry asked.

"For considering me more for than an a mere image."

"You're welcome."

A few minutes of silence later, students started filing into the common room, many were getting ready for their classes. Some called out a greeting to Harry as they walked past him to head out of the portrait. There was no sign of what had just happened, Harry noticed wryly.

When Harry turned to leave, there was a flash of fire and a parchment appeared in midair. Harry caught it as it fell down.

"Who's it from?" Mark asked. He kept his distance from Harry to respect his privacy.

"Dumbledore."

"What does he want?"

Harry handed him the parchment.

_**Harry,**_

_**Meet me in my office. Password is Portable Swamp.**_

_**Dumbledore**_

"Do you have to go?"

"I can choose not to," said Harry with a sly smile. "But I'll go anyway. After all, it is an act of defiance if I disobey the headmaster."

Mark laughed and exited the common room. Sighing to himself, Harry pocketed the note and left for Dumbledore's office.


	7. Opening the Chamber

A/N: Fox of the Nova, this _is_ my first fanfic story. Thank you for your reviews; they were quite motivating. I received them all in less than half an hour. I received your last review at 11:08 PM Pacific time, March 28, 2005. I completed this chapter at 11:37 PM and uploaded this chapter at 11: 39 PM, March 28, 2005.

Thank you becky red for your review. I will do my best to make this story good.

Tips are always welcome.

Opening the Chamber

"_Come in, Harry."_

Harry walked into the headmaster's office and stood in front of Dumbledore, who was sitting behind his desk.

"Why Portable Swamp?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow as he sat down in front of Dumbledore.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Well, the Weasley twins made quite an impressive use of magic, so I decided to give them a bit of credit."

"That's pretty nice," Harry agreed. "Now, what is it that you want to know? I can already guess."

Dumbledore's expression turned serious. "Now Harry, what you did at the platform yesterday was commendable, but what you used is my main concern. First of all, spells in that magnitude of destruction are very powerful and are most likely Dark Arts. Second, I have never seen you kill people. But not only that, you did it without remorse. Third, where did you learn them?"

Harry smiled for a moment, thinking about the amount of power he had at his disposal during that time. Thinking back, Harry could remember the dream-like state he was in while the key of infinity was guiding his actions. He had never felt such a sensation before. It was like his emotions were nonexistent, logic irrelevant, and everything else that controlled his actions were unnecessary.

"Harry?"

Dumbledore's words broke him out of his thoughts.

"I didn't learn them. They were given to me."

"By whom?" Dumbledore asked sternly.

Harry sighed with impatience. "Not whom. What. And I already told you at the platform, I won't be telling you anything about how I did what I did. Don't bother asking about why. It's self explanatory."

"Harry, I hope you understand the seriousness of your actions. Not only am I merely concerned at your sudden acquisition of power, but the possibility of you becoming attached to the Dark Arts," said Dumbledore with a frown.

Harry stared at Dumbledore for a moment in confusion, then to Dumbledore's surprise, burst out laughing.

"You think I am going to be the next Dark Lord?" Harry blurted. "If I had wanted to, I might as well have joined Voldemort."

"Harry," warned Dumbledore. "Do not even suggest that."

It was time for Harry's face to turn serious. "Joining Tom will never be one of my options in any event, under any circumstance, even if it means the end of the world."

Dumbledore sighed with relief. "Well that settles that."

"Is there anything more?" Harry asked.

"Of course there is," exclaimed Dumbledore as he straightened up in his seat. "You can't just go around the school with powers like that. It will be dangerous to both yourself and others around you."

"Do you expect me to go blasting people away on impulse?" Harry asked mildly.

"Not in that manner, but if you were to lose control of you emotions, there is a very high risk of accidental magic," Dumbledore pointed out.

"Not likely."

Leaning back in his chair, Dumbledore asked, "How so?"

Smiling, Harry explained. "As you said, I have acquired an incredible amount of unusual magic, and some of them include mental wards. I'm not limited to destruction only you know."

Dumbledore leaned back thoughtfully. "If these wards are as good as you imply them to be, I'm sure that they will shield you mind adequately, although the connection between you and Voldemort is highly unusual. Also, if you absolutely will not tell me about you source of power, I won't force you."

Harry looked straight into Dumbledore's eyes. "Thank you for not persisting. I might have done something if you had. And yes, the wards will work. These are not ordinary wards that you or any other wizard knows."

"How so?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry broke away his gaze. "I'm going to tell you only this much. These wards disrupt the magic itself in our connection. If I do it correctly, I will be able to shatter the link for as long as the connection is up."

"_Disrupt the magic itself," _Dumbledore breathed in shock. "I have never heard of such a spell."

"You wouldn't have," Harry said slowly. "This magic is older than the founders themselves."

Dumbledore regarded him for a moment over his spectacles, then spoke. "Harry, since I do not know your full capabilities, and you refuse to specify, I will not persist this matter. I trust you to keep yourself out of trouble and your powers under control."

Just then, the door opened and Mark stepped in.

"How did you get in here?" asked Dumbledore cautiously. "Mark Tersan, correct?"

Mark merely gave Dumbledore a glance and turned to Harry.

"He's calling."

Harry stared at Mark in disbelief. "You can hear him?"

Mark blinked. "Of course I can. I am his, well, you know," he said, gesturing at the headmaster.

Standing up, Dumbledore spoke loudly, "Mr. Tersan, I asked you how you entered my office. Explain."

Mark sighed in exasperation and said simply, "Portable Swamp. Took me seven minutes to figure out. Try something more complicated."

Dumbledore looked intently at the boy. "Mr. Tersan, you have entered my office without permission. Please explain your actions."

"I have an urgent matter with Harry. It is relevant with his new power," explained Mark. "Harry, we must go now. He is becoming insistent."

Dumbledore looked at Mark, then to Harry. "Harry, I'm at a loss."

"It'll be alright," Harry replied, trying to hide a sudden smile. "I'll be leaving now if you don't mind. Have a nice day Professor."

Dumbledore looked as though he was going to say something, but Harry and Mark had already left.

00000000000000000000

"So what's Tersan saying?" Harry asked Mark as they walked toward the Entrance Hall.

"He doesn't actually say things. It's basically his desires and feelings that I receive from him," said Mark. "What I am getting from him now is something like: 'HURRY UP! WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG?"

Harry laughed. "Is he really?"

"Well, not really. He's just a bit impatient, and a bit eager to leave the chamber. He has been in there for over a thousand years you know."

Harry stopped walking. "How do I know that if I release him, I'm not going to cause some huge disaster?"

Mark turned to him with a sad expression. "I have a near equivalent amount of power as Tersan, and there were times when I wanted to use that power to destroy people that I disliked. And once, I did."

"What happened?" Harry asked softly.

"About three thousand years ago, while Tersan was still wandering the world, he came across a village that was completely peaceful. He decided to stay there since it was fairly isolated from the rest of civilization," said Mark. Before he could continue, Harry cut in.

"What do you mean Tersan was still wandering the world? Is he that old?" Harry asked quickly.

Mark looked away. "That, Harry, is up to Tersan to explain. I have no right to do so."

Harry thought about it for a moment. "Oh. Go on."

"For two hundred years, Tersan stayed in that village. The villagers knew who and what he was since he told them, so they weren't afraid of him. One day, while Tersan was visiting another part of the world, neighboring kingdoms attacked the village. You see, ever since Tersan entered that village, it prospered beyond any other colonies, villages, kingdoms, and other things. Other people became aware of that village's wealth and decided to plunder it," Mark continued.

"Do you know how Dementors came into existence?" Mark suddenly asked.

Startled, Harry shook his head.

"Well, I had everything to do with it. When the soldiers raided the village, they left no one alive. At the other side of the world, Tersan was unaware of what had happened. A few days after the attack, he sent me to check on the village to ensure its safety." Mark paused.

"When I arrived, I was shocked to find the entire village destroyed, and all the bodies left where they were. You know what was the worst sight to see? The children. They were all hung in the center of the village. They didn't just die of suffocation, their bodies were shredded with metal hooks, some were still stuck in them," Mark said, barely restrained rage lacing his voice.

"The moment I saw that, I left for the kingdoms that participated in the slaughter. Upon arrival, I isolated the individual soldiers that were part of the raid and rounded them up in the kingdom's center. When they were all in one place, I cursed them. I banished them from the Light forever."

Mark looked at Harry with haunted eyes. "I tore out their souls and deformed their bodies, forcing them to feed off the souls of others to feed the never-ending hunger within them, the need to feed to fill the infinite hollowness. I set them loose, then I lost control of them. They incapacitated thousands before the wizards finally devised a defense against it. That's where the Patronus came into existence."

Mark was visibly shaking now. "Harry, do you know what it feels like to have such power flowing through you when you use it?"

"No, I don't," Harry admitted.

"It's unexplainable. The closest thing I can tell you is _pleasure_. I was horrified that I felt pleasure when I created the Dementors. Perhaps that is why Dementors feed on pleasure because their creator enjoyed creating them," Mark said with disgust.

Harry laughed nervously. "Well, you won't be creating anything like that anymore right?"

Walking again, Mark called back, "Hopefully."

( 0 0 0 )

"So, how do I do this?"

Harry was standing in front of the closed double doors of the Great Hall. After the strange story about the origin of Dementors, Mark was still slightly unsettled.

"I don't know. Tersan doesn't know either. He simply gave you the most powerful key he had to open the chamber," said Mark, scratching the back of his head. "Try pulling on the doors."

Harry reached out with his right hand and pulled one of the doors. The door opened normally and the Great Hall was visible beyond it.

"Nope, doesn't work that way," said Harry as he closed the door.

Mark looked at him. "What's wrong?"

Harry looked at the door intently, searching for hidden symbols, keys, and runes. He found nothing. "I don't know. Does Tersan know?"

Mark closed his eyes for a moment as he conversed with his source. After a moment, he opened his eyes again. "No, he doesn't. All he knows is that there is some sort of an opening command."

"Let me guess, he doesn't know what the command is."

Mark nodded. "Can you guess?"

"Maybe the summoning charm," Harry suggested. He held out his wand and said, _"Accio Tersan."_

Nothing happened.

Mark chuckled. "You tried to summon him? The Chamber is a different world Harry."

Harry released a groan of frustration as he surveyed the door. "Couldn't he have given a bit more information on how to set him free?"

Mark looked at the door. "He doesn't know any more than you."

_Tersan Anthrias…Tersan…Anthrias…_Harry pondered. _Anthrias. _Harry had a sudden thought.

"Mark, what does Tersan Anthrias mean?" asked Harry.

Mark leaned against the marble railing. "Tersan means 'weapon' and Anthrias means 'of Atlantis.' Why do you ask?"

"Weapon of Atlantis?" Harry asked in astonishment. "Are you serious?"

Mark looked at him with a solemn expression. "I am very serious. You see, Tersan doesn't know anything about his origins. His name is the only thing that tells him where he is from. Even to this day, he still doesn't know if his name actually means that."

Harry stared at Mark in shock. "Y-you're actually from Atlantis?" he sputtered.

"Harry, as I have said, his _name_ is the only thing that identifies his origins. The rest of his past is unknown, even to himself," Mark said with exasperation.

Harry turned to the door and muttered to himself, "Tersan Anthrias is the Weapon of Atlantis."

Suddenly, the doors started to shake violently, although they didn't open. The wards started to screech while runic writing appeared on the doors.

"Harry, what on earth did you do?" Mark demanded through his surprise.

"I-I don't know," Harry squeaked. "I simply said 'Tersan Anthrias is the Weapon of Atlantis."

This time, the entire hall shook, throwing the boys to the floor. Harry was struck with a sudden inspiration as he fell to the hard marble floor. Pushing himself up to a standing position despite the shaking while Mark watched him from the floor, he held out his hand as he shouted in a clear voice, "TERSAN ANTHRIAS, THE WEAPON OF ATLANTIS, I BREAK THE SEAL AND RELEASE YOU FROM THE CHAMBER OF ISOLATION!"

With an earsplitting groan, the stairs broke in half, collapsing in the center. Harry barely leapt out of the way in time. The runic writing flared white…and shattered, blowing off the door in shards of light.

Voices started to fill the room.

"_Fool! You have just ensured the destruction of this world. You cannot even begin to imagine the events you have just set in motion this day. May your actions…"_ a deep male voice was saying.

"…_ended all that we have worked for…"_ a sad female voice said.

"…_unworthy of being in this school you halfblood…" _a cold male voice snarled. Harry believed this voice to be Salazar Slytherin's.

As the voices spoke, the doors started to form cracks. Harry could only watch in fascination as more and more seals appeared and shattered.

All of a sudden, the floor heaved violently, and the doors exploded.


	8. The Weapon of Atlantis

A/N: Thank you David305 for pointing out the mistakes. They are explained here and will be a key factor in the rest of this story. Keep telling me if you find any other errors.

Thanks to Fox of the Nova for your wonderfully pleasing reviews.

All tips are welcome.

The Weapon of Atlantis

Everything stopped moving. The voices were silent. All light was extinguished.

A figure laid in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs. Slowly, the figured stirred with a groan and got to his feet. With vivid green eyes, the figure looked at the double doors, which for some unknown reason were still there. Fragments of wood and strange metal covered the floor all over the hall. Another figure stood at the front of the doors.

"Hello Harry," the figure spoke. "It's nice to see you again."

Harry's eyes widened in shock. "Tersan? Is that really you?"

Tersan walked down the stairs, carefully avoiding the deep chasm in the middle of the stairway. "Yes Harry. It's really me."

"I don't believe it. Harry, you have actually released him!" a voice said from behind Harry.

Harry turned around to see Mark staring at Tersan in wonder.

"Avatar," Tersan said coldly. "Where have you been?"

Mark cringed. "Searching for you."

"Searching?" Tersan asked in a deadly soft voice. "It took you over one thousand years to find me? You are pathetic, avatar."

"Tersan, go easy on him," pleaded Harry. "He's just an avatar."

Tersan turned cold eyes toward Harry, who felt another scanning sensation. Rapidly, he raised his Mindcraft barriers, but Tersan simply went through them.

"I told you not to do that!" shouted Harry as Tersan retreated from his mind. Tersan ignored him and turned to his avatar.

"You have been guiding him?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Excellent."

Harry looked at the two twins, perplexed. "What do you mean Mark has been guiding me?"

"Harry, why did you trust Mark so quickly?" asked Tersan as he turned to face Harry.

"Because he…well…" Harry couldn't explain.

"You see? Mark has been manipulating you ever since you arrived at the train station," explained Tersan. "He has weakened your caution and enhanced your trust. From this result, you have openly defied your mentors to commit this action."

"I don't understand," Harry said with puzzlement.

"Also," continued Tersan. "Many events are out of place. Think about this. You portkeyed from the platform to the headmaster's office, left it shortly, consulted your key, and met your professor, who told you about the students' arrival."

"Your meaning?" Harry asked, impatient.

"From what your memory tells you, the students arrived at school shortly after yourself. Now, how is that possible? There is nearly a half-day's travel time for the students to travel from the station to here. What have you been doing in that time?"

Harry thought back at his arrival time in the headmaster's office and meeting Professor McGonagall just a few minutes after he left. It didn't make sense. The students couldn't have arrived that fast.

"What have you done to me?" Harry demanded furiously.

Tersan smiled coldly. "That, I believe, is up to my avatar to explain."

"Harry," Mark said casually. "I have been directing your actions for the past few days. You see, you were never aware of the unusual transitions because of your lowered caution. For the past few days, I have been using you to carry out certain orders from my source. During the period of time that the students were traveling from the station to the school, I had you working under the school setting up a hidden fortress chamber. You have no memory because you were not conscious at the time. I was directing all your actions."

"This-this can't be true!" Harry whispered.

"I sent you back to your exact location when your Head of House was walking around the corner, also at the time when the students arrived," Mark continued. "And then, after your professor left, you arrived in the Great Hall to walk in during the middle of the sorting. Tell me, how did nearly an hour's time pass while you experienced a few minutes? Once again, I had you working on something, but this time, I made you ward the Great Hall against any intrusions for this event to take place."

"No, this can't be true!" Harry cried desperately. "I trusted you!"

"I had already told you. I lowered your caution and raised your trust. This is the reason you were willing to follow me blindly. Ever since you contacted Tersan, he has been sending me instructions to direct your actions to the way he needed. My source's plan worked. He has been released, thanks to you, Harry James Potter. Oh, and last night, I think I placed Alexander in the wrong dormitory. I was also using him as well when I found out you both were family. It made work so much easier."

"No, I don't believe this," Harry gasped. "But, why did you pretend you didn't know me this morning?"

"There are limitations to emotion modification. I had to pretend I didn't know you because of that. I hadn't expected the Gryffindor avatar to appear at this time, but what he did strengthened your trust in me."

"How?"

"Well, he tried to kill you. Normally, you would have been aware of the other details he mentioned, such as the danger of releasing my source. I simply pushed away all other thoughts of doubt and fortified your trust."

Abruptly, Tersan laughed. "Avatar, I suppose it is time to relinquish your control over him."

"But he may be of further use to us," Mark suggested.

"Not anymore."

Mark nodded and looked at Harry. He raised his wand; a dull metallic colored one, and flicked it.

Full memory and awareness flooded him as all alien power was released. Fury surged in Harry as he became aware now of Mark and Tersan's actions.

"How could you do this?" Harry choked out, barely able to contain his rage.

Sighing, Tersan answered him, "Harry, there are forces more powerful and important in this world than your petty conflict between you arrogant humans."

Trembling with rage, Harry shouted, "Have you no respect for any, _lower_, class beings? We have feelings too you know!"

"You. Are irrelevant. An inferior," Tersan hissed. "You are of no concern to me than an amoeba is to you. What you desire is none of my concern. Nor is it of my avatar's."

Suddenly, Tersan's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. "Oh Harry, I didn't mean that. I was just angry."

Something in Harry snapped. _"Crucio!" _he bellowed.

The curse struck the other boy to no apparent effect. He simply stood there watching Harry with mild interest.

"A torturing curse?" Tersan asked with amusement. "Those things don't work on me."

Harry screamed and charged at Tersan. He never reached him. A beam of purple light struck him from Mark, holding his body in place in the middle of his running position.

"Harry, listen to me," Tersan tried to say, but Harry growled in response. Shaking his head, Tersan raised his hand and muttered a few incomprehensible words. Harry felt his anger drain away as well as the spell holding him in place.

Entirely without anger, Harry asked calmly, "What do you have to say?"

"I was impatient and exhausted," said Tersan tiredly. "Staying in that chamber tends to drive a person mad, and I have been in there for over a thousand years. So imagine my joy when you somehow contacted me. Ever since that second, I could not stop trying to make you free me."

Harry suddenly remembered the key. "What is this key you gave me anyway?"

Tersan raised an eyebrow. "Oh that? The key of infinity is the most powerful damn unlocking spell that I had in my possession. It can open any lock, seal, ward, bonds, and just about any restraining or restricting spells or devices."

"Why does it help me?"

Tersan looked at him in surprise. "It does? Well, maybe it never helped me before because I never needed any."

The words of the Gryffindor avatar came to his mind. "Did you actually try to sink the European continent?"

"Well, I tried," Tersan said with a laugh. "It was during a sudden inspiration for landscaping. It didn't work."

Harry was about to ask another question when he realized something was amiss. "Hey, why am I so relaxed? Are you invoking my trust again?"

"Oh no. Not at all," chuckled Mark. "Tersan simply suppressed your rage and anger. The rest is fine."

Reassured, Harry considered what Tersan had told him. "What is the hidden fortress that Mark has been making me build under the school?" he asked.

"That Harry, is for me to know," Tersan said sternly.

"Alright then, keep more information from me," Harry grumbled.

"I am NOT keeping information from you," Tersan said loudly. "The fortress I am preparing is utterly impossible to explain for its sheer complexity causes that. It extends throughout the entire grounds of Hogwarts and several miles beyond it. And if you're interested to know, the fortress is located three times deeper than the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry stared at him. "How do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?"

Tersan looked at him as though he were some strange object. "Um, from your head?"

"Oh," Harry muttered, feeling more and more silly with each passing question. Looking around, he noted the amount of damage the hall had sustained from breaking all the seals. The frame around the double doors was badly cracked. The staircase was virtually useless with its enormous chasm down the center. Scorch marks covered the walls in an expanding circular pattern.

"Harry," said Mark.

"Yes?"

Mark regarded him carefully for a moment. "Due to the importance of the secrecy of this matter, I will be following you in all of your activities in the school. Primarily, it means your classes."

Harry stared at him. "You know, the teachers will notice. You are a first year. I am a sixth."

"Not a problem," Tersan intervened. He raised his hand and shook it slightly. The air around it rippled for a second, then faded. Mark looked grateful. "Thanks, but I could have done that myself."

Tersan smirked.

"What was that?" asked Harry.

"Reality has been altered," Tersan answered cheerfully. "Mark can now go anywhere and no one will ever notice anything is wrong."

"What about Professor Dumbledore?'

Mark smiled. "As powerful as Dumbledore is, he is still bound by the laws of reality."

Harry sighed in defeat. Looking around at the damage, he groaned, "How am I going to explain all this damage to the teachers and headmaster?"

Mark rolled his eyes. "You don't. _Redintegro!_"

Just like Platform 9 and ¾, the broken fragments of marble reverted back to their original locations while the scorch marks cleaned themselves from the walls. The fractures on the doorframe sealed themselves.

Harry didn't say anything. He feeling too embarrassed.

"I'm going down to the fortress now. There are matters that I need to attend to," Tersan said as the hall repaired itself.

"Wait! You're going now?" Harry asked quickly.

Tersan gave him a funny look. "Of course. Do you expect me to hang around here all day?"

"Well, no. But-"

Tersan's image suddenly blurred, then disappeared.

"_How did he do that?"_ Harry asked in astonishment. "I thought you couldn't Apparate in Hogwarts."

"It's not Apparating. It's warping."

"Warping?"

"I'll explain it to you later. For now, I'll have to release the time dilation I placed on here."

"Time dilation?" Harry asked with surprise. "You have the power to control time?"

"To an extent. I have accelerated our timeframe so that every passing second in the rest of the school is one hour here," said Mark. "You see, I have done this so we could get this done faster."

Harry nodded. A memory came to mind. "Are you still suppressing my anger?"

Mark shook his head. "No. Tersan was doing that. Now that he's left, he has released the spell."

Harry thought for a moment. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Mark gave him a soft look. "You don't. I guess I'll have to gain your trust the hard way."

Harry burst out laughing. "Yes, you'll have to."

Just then, the double doors burst open. Dumbledore strode in with a very concerned expression on his face followed by Snape and Professor McGonagall.

"Harry, what have you been doing here?" asked Dumbledore, looking at both boys with suspicion. "The wards registered a massive amount of energy here."

"Nothing," Mark answered before Harry could. "As you can tell with your own eyes, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this place."

Snape sneered. "Looks can be deceiving. Are you hiding anything from us?"

Harry spoke up. "Of course I am. And so are you."

Turning around, Harry stormed out of the great hall. Mark gave Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall an innocent look and followed Harry out towards the lake.

"What is with that boy?" Dumbledore wondered.


	9. Classes and Alliances

A/N: Sorry about that Fox of the Nova. I had to explain a few inconsistencies in my story. This is, after all, my first fanfiction that I have ever written. The time wizard thing is a very basic time dilation. It will be explained in further chapters.

Thanks becky red for your review again. I'm doing my best to make this story good.

Also, tips are welcome for the next chapter's action. Tersan VS Voldemort. I'd like some ideas since I'm kinda stuck. Thanks!

Classes and Alliances

Harry was halfway to the lake when he noticed that Mark was still trailing him. Quickly, he accelerated his pace, but somehow Mark was able to match his speed. Irritated, Harry whirled around to face him.

"Why are you still following me, _avatar_?" Harry asked sarcastically. "Don't you have people you need to manipulate?"

Mark didn't answer. Harry turned around and continued walking.

"Harry," Mark called after him.

Harry paused.

"Harry, please, listen to me," Mark called again. "There are things that I need to explain to you."

"Like what?" Harry said impatiently. "More useless apologies for your unwarranted actions?"

"No," said Mark. "Not about what's done. But what is to be done."

"Fine," Harry muttered. They continued down towards the lake. When they arrived, Harry turned to Mark and waited.

"Harry, now that Tersan is free, he is going to destroy whatever has opposed him before," said Mark. "However, whatever had opposed him is now gone. He has no purpose now."

"What's your point?" Harry asked with impatience.

"It means he will search for something to do, most likely destroy. If there is a magical force out there that is bent on destruction, there is a very high chance that Tersan will join that force just to keep himself preoccupied. You know of what I speak of."

Harry eyes narrowed as he understood. _"Voldemort."_

"Yes Harry," Mark said sadly. "As his avatar, I am not he, but a mere representation of him. Although I am under his control, I have a mind of my own. With this mind, I wish not to join him for I have seen what he has done within your mind."

"What are you talking about? You are no better than him," Harry accused. "In fact, the both of you had even worked out this entire releasing thing, with _me_ as your pawn."

Mark sighed and rubbed his temples, a sight not commonly seen upon an eleven year-old looking kid. Lowering his hand, Mark spoke.

"Harry, I was under direct orders from him at the time. There was nothing I could have done to countermand that. If I refused to carry out his wishes, my body would have acted of its own accord and carried out the orders anyway."

"What has that got to do with Tersan's side taking?" asked Harry, all irritation gone.

"I have a choice this time," Mark said, visible struggling to speak. "I choose not to join Tersan if he chooses to work with Voldemort."

"You mean work under him," Harry muttered with distaste. To his surprise, Mark smiled.

"Tersan works under no one. You see, Voldemort's power compared to Tersan's is like comparing this planet to the entire galaxy, possible even more. His knowledge of certain magic literally can render Voldemort a muggle. Perhaps even lower, for I have never seen."

"But why will he join Voldemort if he is that strong? Why doesn't he just blow the hell out of places himself?" Harry asked.

Mark snorted. "That's because he's been alone too long. I've lived humans for thousands of years so I have learned many things, especially socializing. That's how I was able to manipulate you so easily."

Harry noted that Mark had said the last sentence with disdain. "Wh-"

"Harry, are you aware that there are tracking and listening charms on you?" Mark said abruptly.

Startled, Harry shook his head. "What do you mean tracking and listening charms?"

"Exactly as I said them. They appear to be consistent with an extremely powerful light wizard. Power enough to scare Voldemort," said Mark as he looked at Harry intently.

Harry didn't even have to think. "Dumbledore."

Mark gave a tilted nod. "It would appear so. Would you like me to remove them and ward you from future additions?"

Harry considered this. Mark may be trying to influence him again, but his logic won out. What would he hope to gain?

"You're not trying to place your own charms on me are you?" Harry asked cautiously. "Or control me?"

"Why would I? Tersan is here; he can do everything else."

Harry thought for a moment longer, then relented.

Mark raised his strange dull-black metallic wand and muttered, _"Ves Ryel."_

Harry's body emitted a multitude of colors as the charms were revealed and destroyed. It took nearly a half-minute.

"Quite a lot of charms you got. Dumbledore must really care about you or is really nosy," Mark commented with amusement.

Harry had to blink several times to clear his eyes from all the light. "I'd say nosy. There are just plainly too many charms needed for just security."

Mark flicked his wand in some sort of a salute, and the wand zipped into his sleeve.

"What kind of a wand is that?" asked Harry. "I've never seen a metallic one before. Is it metal?"

Mark extended his arm and the wand shot out of his sleeve into his waiting hand. "Sixteen inches of dark metal and a star crystal core. In case you're wondering, dark metal is a unique type of magical alloy that is perfect for inducing death and destruction. The star crystal core is literally a sun in the form of a crystal as the wand core, perfect for generating massive amounts of power."

"I've never heard of either material before," Harry said in awe as he inspected the wand closely.

"That's because no one has ever made them. Tersan and I personally crafted both our wands, not that we needed them. We just have too much time on our hands," Mark said in a bored voice.

Harry looked up. "What's Tersan's wand?"

"Sixteen inch silver birch with a blood core. The blood is his own."

"Silver birch?"

"The most powerful magical wood that has ever existed. Sadly, the only silver tree left in this world was destroyed two thousand years ago. Tersan had a hell of a time getting a branch off that thing, despite all his power," Mark explained.

"And what do you mean by a blood core?" asked Harry, intrigued by the wands.

Mark closed his eyes for a moment. "The blood as the core serves as a locator and summoning capability. In other words, Tersan can locate his wand anywhere it is and can summon it from anywhere. And because it is his own blood, the wand can channel his massive power and even amplify it."

"Why don't you use your own blood as your own wand's core?"

Mark looked at Harry blankly. "Because I am only an imitation of life. I have no real blood."

Harry quickly looked away. "I'm sorry I said that."

"It's quite alright. I have known that the first second I came into existence. There is no need to apologize for mentioning that," said Mark. "It's past morning now. Shall we head back? I believe we have classes, and the first is double potions with the Slytherins."

Harry groaned. "I hate potions."

"The class, teacher, or the potion itself?"

Harry groaned again. "Oh, shut up."

( 0 0 0 )

"You're late Potter," Snape said as Harry and Mark rushed into the dungeon classroom. "And you too, Mr. Tersan. Ten points from Gryffindor each."

Harry didn't say anything as they say down in front of the classroom since they were the only seats available. Mark simply watched Snape with mild curiosity, as though he were a boring TV show.

"Instruction are on the board," Snape announced as he waved his wand, causing writing to appear on the blackboard. "You will be making a standard Sleeping Potion. Don't make any mistakes, it will be tested tomorrow," he added, looking straight at Harry. Turning around, Snape stalked over to his desk and sat down.

Harry looked at the board and sighed. Snape just had to choose a very complex potion for the start of the semester. Mark snorted quietly.

"What do you find so amusing Mr. Tersan?" Snape asked coldly as he stood up from his desk and walked over to him.

"The sheer simplicity of this potion," Mark said, smiling. Snape's cold glare didn't deter him one bit. He continued, "Makes this work so easy."

"Prove your words then," Snape said nastily. By this time, the entire class was silent. Even Malfoy wasn't saying anything.

Still smiling, Mark turned to his cauldron. With flick of his wand, the fire was lit and the ingredients flew from the cabinets to the side of his desk. Ignoring the noises of astonishment from the students, Mark moved his hands rapidly, preparing the ingredients at an extremely fast pace. Chopping, crushing, and mixing of the materials were a blur. Even Snape had a difficult time tracking his hand movements.

"If you real time this, it would take way too long," said Mark as he placed the ingredients into the cauldron. He raised his wand and muttered, _"Evithier."_

Instantly, the flame's wavy movements went so fast it looked solid. The potion was quickly brought to a boil and the rest of the potion ingredients were placed in. The rest of the steps were easily taken care of. In mere minutes, the potion was ready and Mark took the spell off the potion.

"Completed," Mark said casually as he filled a vial of the potion. Snape could only watch with wide eyes. "Next time Professor, don't doubt my abilities," he added as an afterthought. Snape didn't say anything as Mark handed him his completed potion and walked back to his desk, sitting down with an astonished expression. Mark caught Harry's eye, who smiled in amusement.

Whispers broke out throughout the classroom as students pointed to him and Snape.

"Blimey mate, that was amazing!" an excited voice whispered from behind him. Mark turned around to see a tall boy about the age of sixteen with furiously red hair.

"Thank you. I'm Mark, and you are?"

Harry cut in. "Oh, that's Ron. He's easily impressed. And this is Hermione."

"Harry! Where have you been mate? I've been bloody worried," Ron said happily.

Hermione shushed him. "Quiet down! Snape is still here."

"Sorry," Ron whispered. Mark chuckled in amusement.

"Harry," Hermione interjected. "What have you been doing? Dumbledore is really worried about you!" Then, as though she had just noticed Mark, she greeted, "Oh hi Mark. I'm Hermione Granger. How are you?"

Mark laughed, much to the distaste of Snape, who snapped, "Quiet down. This is a potions class, not leisure time. Five points from Gryffindor."

"I think we should continue this conversation after class," Harry whispered, throwing a look at Snape, who was watching them with disgust. Harry turned to his potion and gave it a cold glare.

"Now how am I supposed to concentrate?" he complained.

Mark turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "You key will guide you. Or have you forgotten?"

"What key?" Hermione asked from behind them.

"Continue this discussion at a more appropriate time," Mark whispered quickly as Snape looked in their direction.

( 0 0 0 )

After a boring three hours of potions, Harry finally left the dungeons trailed by Ron and Hermione, who were bickering as usual.

"You know," Harry called back to them. "You two just might make a nice couple."

Ron and Hermione both looked at Harry in shock, then back to each other. They both gave a yelp and leapt back away from each other.

"They most likely will be," Mark agreed as he carefully skipped a trick staircase.

Hermione looked at him. "How did you know that was a trick staircase?"

"I can see through the step."

"How?" Hermione asked.

"Magic," Mark replied casually, smiling.

Harry and Ron burst out laughing. "Good one mate!" said Ron between gusts of laughter. Unaware of where he was going, Ron stepped right into another trick staircase.

This time, Hermione burst out in fits of giggles. "Stupid Ron," she muttered, though everyone heard her.

Ron looked at her, appalled. "Hermione, how could you?"

"Precisely what I mean," Harry said loudly. Ron and Hermione stopped laughing and looked at him. Quickly, Harry and Hermione pulled hard on Ron's arms to lift him out of the staircase.

"Oh no! We're going to be late!" Hermione cried. "Only one minute left. We won't get there in time!"

Mark was studying a portion of the wall. "Which class do we have next?" he asked without turning around.

"Charms," Harry said quickly.

Mark's eyes lit up. "Ah, I can get us there very quickly."

Harry looked at him. "How?"

Mark didn't answer. Instead, he raised his wand and tapped an intricate pattern and signal on the wall, making a metallic clang as whenever his wand made contact.

The trio watched in astonishment as the wall slid back and retracted into the ground. Darkness lay beyond.

"Care to join me?" Mark offered. Without waiting for a response, he walked straight into the darkness and disappeared.

Harry looked at the others and walked right in. Shortly after, the remaining two entered. No one noticed the wall slide back into place, leaving no trace as if it had never left its place.

( 0 0 0 )

"Amazing," Ron muttered as he sat down in the front of the classroom. The moment he stepped into the dark hole in the wall, he found himself walking through the doors of the charms classroom.

"How did you do that?" Hermione blurted out. "Of all the passages in this castle, I have never seen one that brings you directly into a classroom, least of all the door itself."

"You wouldn't have," said Mark as he pulled out parchment, but no quill. "The castle has certain capabilities that you have to try to find out. That little trick out there took me a full week to find out."

"How did you find it?" Ron whispered.

Mark thought for a moment before answering. "Well, one morning I was rather bored, so I started tapping on the wall with my wand. Next thing you know, the wall opened and I fell into it."

"Where did you end up?"

"Right outside the Gryffindor tower, hanging onto a single protruding brick," said Mark, laughing at Hermione's shocked expression. "Oh don't worry," he added hastily. "Even if I fell, I would have fallen onto a ledge."

"Next time, be careful," Hermione scolded. "You just might-"

She was cut off by Professor Flitwick. "Today class," he announced. "We will be working on conjuring. There is no spell word. Just picture the object in mind and wave your wand. Make sure that you picture the details properly."

"Ah!" Mark said loudly, catching the attention of the professor. "This will be fun to do!"

Professor Flitwick beamed at him. "That's the spirit, my boy! Now class, start with simple rocks first, then give them shapes."

Ron looked excited. "Blimey! I can do wonders with this," he exclaimed. Screwing his face up in concentration, he waved his wand. A shapeless moldy lump appeared on his desk.

"Ron, what are you trying to make?" Harry asked, trying to hold in his laughter.

"A rock," Ron answered glumly. He looked to Hermione, who was already conjuring an entire pile of rocks, each one with a different shape.

"Excellent Miss Granger!" Professor Flitwick cried out from his stack of books. "Ten points to Gryffindor. Mr. Tersan, I hope you are not trying to conjure air."

Mark turned back to his desk, chuckling lightly. "Of course not Professor."

He gave his wrist a flick, causing the wand to shoot into his hand. "Am I supposed to make a rock? Any rock?"

"Yes Mr. Tersan," Professor Flitwick called back as he turned to observe the rest of the class.

Mark chuckled at the professor's reference of "Mr. Tersan" and gave his wand a sharp snap. Instead of a round gray lump of rock like Hermione's, a perfectly cut diamond appeared on desk. Mark didn't even notice the stares he received from across the classroom as he turned to see what Harry had conjured.

Harry, however, wasn't concentrating on his conjuring. He was too busy staring at the diamond on Mark's desk.

"Mark, do you know that you conjured a diamond?" Harry asked weakly.

"I did?" Mark asked with disbelief. Turning around, he saw the diamond and laughed lightly.. He rapped the diamond with his wand, turning it into an ugly stone version.

"Heh. Oops," he laughed sheepishly. "Not what I intended…"

Professor Flitwick stared at him in admiration. "Mr. Tersan, you appear to have remarkable talent in conjuring. Would you mind showing us what you are fully capable of?"

Mark looked at Hermione nervously, who nodded in approval.

"What do you want me to make?" he asked uneasily.

"A huge diamond!" someone shouted.

"Gold! Lots of it!" another shouted.

"How about lightning?" Ron suggested.

Mark stared at Ron. "Lightning?"

"Well, can you?"

"I could try, but-"

The class started shouting. "Come on! Make lightning!"

Professor Flitwick gave up trying to quiet the class and watched Mark expectantly.

"Alright then. Be careful though," Mark warned. "I've never done it before."

Raising his wand, he gave it a flick. There was a flash of white light and a crackle of electricity and several bolts of lightning exploded from a point in midair; the shockwave knocking Flitwick off his feet. They shot to different areas of the classroom, demolishing whatever they touched. Thankfully, no students were struck, though some had hair that refused to go down for the rest of the day.

Mark stared at the origin of the lightning for a full minute, despite the poking, prodding, and waving of fellow classmates.

"OY!" a voice shouted in his ear. Mark jerked his wand and the source of the voice flew across the classroom, only to be caught by Hermione's Cushioning Charm.

"Mr. Tersan!" the tiny professor squealed from somewhere behind the pile of books. "Most impressive conjured material I have ever seen in my life. Twenty points to Gryffindor!"

Mark blinked several times, finally noticing that the entire class was once again, staring at him. Looking around, he noticed that the person that shouted in his ear and was thrown by him was Ronald Weasley himself.

Grumbling, Ron returned to his seat and glared at Mark. A few minutes later, the bell rang and they left the charms classroom, the lightning still crackling.

"Sorry about that Ron," Mark apologized. "You caught me by surprise."

Ron glared at him for a moment longer before acknowledging the apology.

"Ron, Hermione," Harry said as they headed toward the Great Hall for dinner. "There's something that I need to tell you."

Hermione's interest perked up. "Oh. What is it?"

Harry looked around and shook his head. "Not here. When we get back to the common room, I'll tell you. It's very important."

( 0 0 0 )

Harry entered the portrait hole to find Ron and Hermione talking rapidly to Mark.

"Already telling them?" asked Harry.

Mark shook his head. "No, I was just telling them tips on conjuring. We've been waiting for you."

"So Harry, what did you want to tell us?" Hermione asked eagerly.

Harry took a deep breath and started slowly. "Near the end of the summer, I had a dream of some sort, and…"

Over the next half hour, Harry explained to them about his first encounter of Tersan, then they key that assisted him during the battle at the platform, his unknown cousin, and Mark the avatar. When he got to the part about the Gryffindor avatar, Hermione gasped in astonishment when she heard that it tried to kill Harry. The moment Harry started explaining the release of Tersan, Hermione peppering Harry with scolding and criticism.

"Harry, the avatar had a good reason to tell you not to release Tersan!" she had said.

Harry glared at her. "Perhaps it also had good reason to kill me?"

That shut her up.

As Harry told them about how Tersan had exploited him through his avatar, Mark stood up and walked away to sit in a distant corner. It seemed that Mark did not like being used in such a manner by his source, although he had no choice in the matter. When Harry finished, both Ron and Hermione stared at him with wide eyes.

"Harry," Ron said feebly. "You do know that the possibility of Tersan joining You-Know-Who will be utterly devastating. You have to do something."

"I know!" Harry snapped angrily. "I just don't know how."

"Why do you call Voldemort You-Know-Who?" Mark asked with interest.

Hermione explained patiently, "You see, when Voldemort was in power sixteen years ago, wizards and witches were afraid of merely speaking his name. Some had actually thought that his name was some sort of summoning spell."

"Just because of that?" Mark asked, bored.

Hermione nodded gravely. "Now that he's back, we're afraid that he might be unstoppable this time."

"Afraid to speak his name," Mark muttered to himself. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Hey Hermione, can you change the Gryffindor Tower's password to Voldemort?"

Hermione thought for a second. "Well, I can, but what would you accomplish…" Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh! I get it now! To enter the Gryffindor Tower, you will have to overcome the fear of Voldemort's name."

Mark smiled. "Exactly. We are Gryffindors, are we not?"

Ron looked at him slyly. "You know, Fred and George would have been proud of you?"

Mark furrowed his eyebrows. "Fred and…oh! I know them."

"Hermione, you've got it done yet?" Harry called to Hermione.

"One moment," she yelled back. "Right there…almost…almost…got it!" She walked back with a broad smile. "Now all we have to do is inform them of the new password when they arrive."

Ron laughed. "And boy will they get a big surprise."

( 0 0 0 )

Effect of the password change was incredible. Nearly all the Gryffindors remained outside of the common room, since most were still too scared to say the name.

Professor McGonagall herself came to see why the Gryffindors were still outside, and walked away with an amused expression on her face when she left. Many students were unhappy when she simply told them to do as they were told by the prefects or would have sleep in the cold corridor.

Whenever a student managed to say Voldemort's name, they always said the name with severe stuttering. The Fat Lady kindly informed them that they had to say the name clearly with confidence to permit entrance. To everyone's astonishment, it was Neville Longbottom and Colin Creevey who were the first to speak the name without fear. Soon afterwards, the rest of the students were able to speak the name without fear as well. It took half the night, but everyone was soon able to speak Voldemort without shuddering or gasping, or any other such reactions.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry woke up to feel a heated argument taking place. He sat up and saw Tersan and Mark shouting at each other behind some sort of a rippling shield that blocked out their voices. Harry couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could feel the power radiate off of them as they screamed at each other. Looking around, he noticed that every other student was sleeping, completely unaware that two superpowers were fighting right in their midst. Taking a closer look, Harry noticed that there was some sort of a spell that kept them asleep.

Turning to the arguing figures, he called, "Tersan? Mark?"

There was no response. Apparently, the shield worked both ways. Harry held in a groan and pointed his wand at the shield.

"_Transigo,"_ he muttered. A screeching yellow beam shot from his wand, rupturing the shield. Harry was completely unprepared from the force of the voices that erupted from the contained area of space. It felt like an explosion, knocking him off his feet all the way into the wall. The two figures stopped arguing momentarily to look at Harry, who was groaning in pain from the impact to the wall.

Wincing, Harry stood up and glared at the duo. "What are you two doing? Arguing this early in the morning."

Mark looked at him with an apologetic expression. "Sorry about that Harry."

Tersan looked at him with an expressionless expression. "Do not interrupt us. But now that you have, help us decide which opinion is better."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine. What are you arguing about?'

Tersan opened his mouth to speak, but Mark beat him to it. "We are talking about Tersan's alliance."

"His alliance?" Harry asked. "You mean to us or Voldemort?"

Mark nodded. "Not to a people, but specifically you or Voldemort."

"What do you mean?" asked Harry. "You mean he might stay here or join Voldemort?"

"Those are the possibilities," said Tersan. "If you want me to stay with you, a good reason is required. Otherwise, I'll go to him."

Harry hesitated. This was an action that was very difficult for him. The wrong reason will cause him to lose the persuasion.

"Perhaps," Harry started slowly. "You will find fighting him more fun than fighting _with_ him. He isn't doing much now days anyway."

"And why should I fight him?"

Harry shrugged. "Because fighting him allows you to use your powers to their full extent. Voldemort just blasts the hell out of everything with no creativity. You can battle him with everything you know!"

Tersan's expression suddenly turned dark. "I don't know everything," he said softly, though the underlying anger could be heard. "Someone or something erased my past life to prevent me from using my full power. I have absolutely no knowledge of my home, of my family, or even my world. The only knowledge of my history is my name, and I am unsure if my name truly means that. But even if it does, it doesn't prove anything."

Harry lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Tersan's expression lit up again. "Don't apologize. What is lost is lost. I'm out here now searching for new knowledge, wouldn't you agree?"

Harry could only nod.

Abruptly, Tersan gave a whoop, causing Harry to jump backwards painfully into a nearby nightstand. Snapping his fingers, he said excitedly, "That's it! I want to know what Voldemort is capable of! How soon can you get me to meet him?"

Mark shook his head in mock sadness. "Of all the knowledge that Tersan has acquired, he still acts like a twelve year old. Some things just never change."

Harry didn't know if he should be irritated or happy. "Tersan," he said slowly, "you don't just meet Voldemort on a whim."

"I know that," said Tersan, all trace of excitement gone. "I have the knowledge of some of his capabilities from your mind. I wish to join him because I have a desire for conflict. Without conflict, I find no purpose for my existence."

"So you truly are a weapon," Harry said softly. "Have you no other function?"

"I do," answered Tersan in the same tone of voice. "But my main power is on destruction. The rest are enhancements and healing for great masses of people, like an army. That's why I am convinced that I was meant for destruction, and from that piece of information, I lived my life."

"In result," Mark started speaking. "Tersan has participated in every single magical war on the planet. It was because of this, the founders locked him away. In every battle that Tersan has fought in, the side he was on always won."

Harry paled. "So, if he joins Voldemort…"

"…he will win the war," Tersan finished.

"That's why we need your help to decide whether Tersan will or will not join him," Mark said. "If you have some way of assisting…"

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. So Tersan wasn't joining him right away. It all depended on him.

"So how can I help?" asked Harry.

"I wish to see what Voldemort's capabilities are. A fight with his followers just might be sufficient, although I would prefer to duel him personally," Tersan stated his conditions. "If I find that he is powerful, I will join him. If I find that fighting him at that power level is enjoyable, I won't join him."

Harry's heart started racing. _Dammit, _he thought to himself._ The world's most powerful magical entity is relying on me to make his decision. The outcome of this decision will affect the entire world it seems…_ He groaned. "It's always up to me…"

"It would seem so," Tersan said lightly. Mark laughed. "Tersan, you should try to have fun. Of all the power and knowledge you have, you still have the heart of a child."

"What would you know?" Tersan shot back. "You're not me."

"Oh really?" Mark taunted. "I am you. I simply have more experiences in the human world than you do."

"Well, I have more experience in battling than you," Tersan shot back. It appeared that there weren't many details that they could throw at each other.

Mark laughed mockingly. "More experience? Need I remind you, we fought all our battles together. How could you have possible be more experienced than me when you spent one thousand years sealed away from the rest of the world."

Harry became amused watching the two near-twins argue with each other. "Look, can we get back to the matter at hand?"

Simultaneously, the boys turned to him.

"Certainly," they said in unison. Tersan glared at Mark out of the corner of his eye, who simply glared back. Harry couldn't help but snicker at their childish antics.

"So you'll help?" Mark asked impatiently. "Personally, I don't want Tersan joining him. I think Voldemort is boring."

"I can try, but I'm not sure what I can do," Harry replied. "I might have to get some sort of vision from Voldemort to see."

Mark's eyes lit up. "Visions? I'm good at that. Do you have some sort of link with him?"

Harry rolled his eyes and pointed to his scar. Expressionless, Mark pulled out his wand and pointed it at his scar. He started muttering words that Harry didn't recognize. Nearly half a minute passed and Harry was starting to get slightly impatient.

"What are you trying to…ARGH!"

Harry felt an incredible pain flare in his scar as whatever spell Mark cast took effect. There was a wrenching sensation, and Harry found himself in an entirely different mind.


	10. Collision

A/N: David305, I received your review halfway through this story. I have already thought of that, and repaired the details in the earlier chapters, as well as explained a few more in this. Thanks for your advice anyway. It's welcome.

becky red: You have requested a chapter, you have received a chapter.

Fox of the Nova: Well, I tried. I guess I can't create a more detailed combat situation without additional practice. In future chapters, I will take more time to do so.

Thank you all for the reviews. All tips are welcome.

Collision

Harry found himself in a dark room, watching a kneeling robed figure in front of him.

"I hope you are more useful than your father, Draco," Harry said in a cold high-pitched voice. The figure didn't respond. "Are you sure that tomorrow is the day the students visit Hogsmeade?"

"Yes my lord," said Draco.

"Excellent. Leave now."

Harry watched the young Death Eater leave the room, then stood up. Abruptly, Voldemort became aware of the intruding presence within his mind.

"Potter!" he said in shock. "How did you get in my mind?"

Harry didn't say anything. He was too shocked. Before Voldemort could say anything else, Harry saw the room dissolve and the Gryffindor common room came into focus.

"Well, that was something," Mark commented as he lowered his wand and looked at Harry carefully.

"How the bloody hell did you do that?" Harry whispered hysterically.

"Calm down Harry," Tersan said softly. "I don't want to keep controlling your emotions for you. Use the Mindcraft."

Slowly, Harry focused and felt his shock drain away. To his surprise, he found that he could use his Mindcraft to fully control his emotions.

"This can come in handy," Harry noted.

"It sure can. You can lower and raise any emotion of your own to your own desired level. Too much terror? Cut it off completely. Too sad? Raise your happiness," Tersan listed. He would have gone on if not for Mark who clocked him over the head.

Tersan cleared his throat. "Now then. From what my avatar tells me, Voldemort plans to attack the wizarding village nearby. It would appear that Voldemort himself will lead this attack ever since you massacred the Death Eaters on the platform."

Harry's eyes widened, causing both Mark and Tersan to laugh.

"What are you two doing here anyway?" asked Harry.

"What do you mean here?" they asked in unison.

"In the dormitory."

Tersan pointed a finger accusingly at Mark. "It was his idea. Not mine. No, not at all. Speak to you as soon a possible he said. Told him I did, to wait for you. But no, he had to insist," he said.

"I did not," Mark retorted. "It was you."

"WHAT DOES IT MATTER?" Tersan bellowed. "WE ARE HERE, NEVERTHELESS!"

Mark spent several seconds with his ears covered before whacking him again. Tersan struck back. They started striking back and forth so fast that they became a blur, then even faster until their actions were virtually invisible.

Harry sighed. "Can you not do that here right now? I will have to tell Dumbledore about this." They stopped.

"Don't bother. Snape has most likely informed them," Mark sighed. "And don't bother asking me how I know. I know everything you know. Courtesy of Tersan."

"Fine then."

"Alright, I'll wait for VoldemRot, oops, I mean Voldemort," Tersan said cheerfully. "Or Moldy Voldie. How about Tommy? Oh! Even better! Tom Riddle the Joke, or Ridiculous. No wait, ah hell, I'm out of ideas."

Harry laughed at the insulting variations of Voldemort's name. Personally, he would have preferred to use Tom, but Voldemrot and Moldy Voldie sounded just as effective.

A gong rang in the background signaling the starting of the first classes. Just like the day before, Mark opened an inter-castle passageway and left for Potions for the second time.

Tersan started to follow, but caught himself. "Can't go with you."

Harry turned around. "Why not?"

Tersan looked surprised. "Why not? Because my avatar and I look exactly alike. It wouldn't look right with two of the same in the room."

"But what about the reality altering thing you did?"

Mark answered, "That was only for me. I am able to go anywhere in the castle without anyone seeing anything out of the ordinary. Changing reality too much tends to result in undesired consequences. You probably might think that we could do something to destroy Voldemort. If that were possible, we would long since used those powers to meet our own needs."

Harry looked slightly deflated. He had hoped that Tersan would be able to help him destroy Voldemort.

"Shall we get going now?" Mark asked urgently. "We are going to be late."

"I'll be down in the fortress," said Tersan as he warped away.

Harry stared at the spot that Tersan had disappeared from. "You have got to teach me that."

"I will."

"Thanks," Harry said happily. "By the way, what does he do down there?"

"Enchantments. The rest is simply construction," Mark said as he walked into the wall. Harry followed.

Harry peered around the classroom intently to see if anyone had noticed that a first year was present in a sixth year class. Apparently no one did.

"Still looking for reactions Harry?" Mark asked quietly as he tended to his potion. "No one will notice, even if you tell them."

Giving up, Harry turned his attention back to his unfinished potion. "I don't know how you like potions so much. Personally, I can't take this."

Mark snorted in laughter. "Well, the only reason you don't like potions is because of the teacher Harry. Snape is an excellent potions master."

Harry looked at him in horror. "How can you-?"

"But," Mark cut in. "He is a horrible teacher. If this class were taught by a nicer teacher, I would believe that you would excel wonderfully in potions."

Harry exhaled. "Fat chance that's going to happen," he said grumpily. He turned around and jumped in shock. Next to him, sat an ancient old man with so many wrinkles he looked shriveled up. His white hair was so long that it bunched up from his head down to the floor in a humongous pile that covered half the. His beard covered the other half. None of the students or Snape himself noticed the hair that covered them.

"What the…?" Harry sputtered.

The wizened old man smiled. "What? Don't you recognize me?"

Harry's eyes widened. "Mark? But why did you change into this form?"

"To prove a point," said the very old Mark. "You see, you said that Snape being nice was virtually an impossibility. Well, look at me. This would be what I look like if I actually lived out my life with aging."

"What's your point?"

"Harry, I've seen many things in my life. I've also done many things in my life," Mark explained. Abruptly, he sneezed. "Stupid beard. Anyway, my point is that Snape will not always be the," he paused for emphasis. "_Nasty git_ he is now. In time, he will change. All he needs is the proper motivation." He sneezed again. _"Bloody beard!"_

Turning back to his eleven-year-old form, Mark spoke again. "Much better. Even if I were to make him nice now, it would seem very awkward. I mean seriously, a polite and civil Snape?"

Harry shuddered at the image. "I can't even imagine." Looking away to Snape, he realized that the entire class was unaware of their conversation taking place.

"Privacy charm?" he asked, gesturing to the classroom.

"An illusion," Mark corrected. "To others, we would look and sound just normal."

Harry shook his head. "I have got to learn that."

Mark raised his eyebrow at him. "Why bother? Just consult your key. In fact, it would appear that you haven't spoken to it in a while."

Harry glanced at the key written on his wrist. "Well, I haven't had much use for it these days. I always seem to do everything correctly without its help."

Mark burst out laughing so loudly that Harry was afraid that the sound would breach the illusion. Fortunately, it didn't.

"Without its help?" Mark asked in disbelief. "Harry, are you aware of what it had told you?"

Confused, Harry shook his head.

"Harry, the key had stated that it would help you with anything that you may be doing. Mostly, it assisted you in magic. You were unaware because it passively planted information within your mind. Think about a subject, it restores the memory to a new condition, or create more information to fill the gaps," explained Mark. "It cannot however, give you information that you do no know at all. All it can do is give you what is stored within itself, much like the spells that you used at the train station."

"So those spells were already known to the key?"

"Yes."

Abruptly, Snape spoke up just a minute to the bell. "If you are done, fill up a vial of you potion and bring it here."

Harry whirled to his potion. It was still incomplete. "Oh no. I didn't finish this." He looked towards Mark for help. Laughing, Mark passed his hand over his cauldron and it instantly filled up with the completed potion. "It's done in your technique, so Snape would be unaware that it was conjured."

Harry smiled gratefully and filled a vial full of the potion, then placed it on Snape's desk.

"I don't suppose you'll want to real-time the day?" Mark offered as they headed toward the North Tower.

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"I can take over your mind like I did before and have you take the remainder of the classes with me guiding you."

Harry backed away. "No. I don't want you to do any more things like that. I've had quite enough of people controlling me."

Mark raised his hands in defeat. "Alright then. You now have two hours of Divination and an additional two in History of Magic. Are you sure you don't want to consider?"

The thought of Trelawney dramatically predicting his death and a droning Professor Binns shook him. "You promise that you will not do anything else?" Harry asked slowly.

Mark took his right fist and placed it over his heart. "You have an Avatar's Seal on that." A golden light enveloped him and Harry for a few seconds. "From herby on, I cannot guide you other than the way you request. Not even Tersan can override this. He would have to kill me and make another avatar to do that."

"Okay then," said Harry. "Do it."

Mark pointed his wand at Harry, waved it, and Harry found himself standing next to the lake.

"How much time has it been?" asked Harry.

Mark glanced at the setting sun directly, then at the stars. "About eight hours."

"How do you look at the sun like that?"

Mark opened his mouth, then closed it. Harry came to the same conclusion as he did and pursued the matter no further.

"What of Voldemort?" Harry asked. "Has he attacked Hogsmeade yet?"

"Not yet. Tersan is waiting for us." He held out his hand to Harry. "Take it. We'll go straight to Hogsmeade."

Harry grasped the offered hand. The space around him surged past him in a blur as though he was traveling at an incredible high speed. Only the place directly in front of him remained partially clear, which zoomed toward him at an alarming speed. Just as soon as it started, it stopped. Harry could see Tersan standing next to the Three Broomsticks waiting impatiently.

"Yes Harry," said Mark. "This is warping. It consists of bending space. Hence, warping."

Pointing at Tersan, Harry inquired, "Can he see us?"

"Not normally. He _can_ if he wanted to," replied Mark. "All we need to do now is step toward him."

Harry walked forward and felt a strange sensation, as though he was trying to cross a large gap. As soon as his foot hit the ground, the space snapped back in place soundlessly.

"You're finally here," Tersan called out without turning around. "He'll be here in a few minutes. I can feel his power. First time warping Harry?"

Tersan turned around and Harry answered, "Yeah. It was quite amazing. Can you teach it to me?"

Mark tapped him on the shoulder. "It would take too long to teach since it would take several years for you to master your magic and several more to master bending space. It would be much easier to transfer the knowledge to you."

"Can you do it now?" Harry asked, trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice.

Tersan and Mark suddenly stiffened. "Voldemort is here," said Tersan with a smirk. "Ugh. I hate waiting."

Voldemort had indeed arrived. Knowing very little about subtly he marched in with his army of Death Eaters proudly, causing people to run away screaming. Harry had expected Dementors to accompany him, but there were none in sight. Seeing the Death Eaters attack the helpless witches and wizards, Harry felt a surge of blazing fury and pulled out his wand.

"Wait!" Mark called out. Harry paused. "What?"

"I'll help, though there is not much need," replied Mark. "The moment Tersan engages Voldemort in combat, all fighting will stop. If I'm not mistake, there goes Tersan."

Tersan was walking straight out toward Voldemort.

"Want to join him?" asked Mark.

Harry nodded and ran off with Mark toward Tersan.

"What are you doing?" Tersan asked sternly as Harry caught up.

"Helping," Harry said breathlessly.

Tersan grunted. "Well, you can't help me directly, but you can go protect the villagers."

Harry nodded and ran off. He released a series of curses that instantly stunned and bound several Death Eaters.

"We meet again Potter," a cold voice said from behind him.

Harry turned around, his emotions securely controlled. "Good day Malfoy. Have you yet to understand that you cannot defeat me?"

Lucius Malfoy laughed. "Perhaps not defeat you, but to contain you is enough."

As he spoke, over twenty Death Eaters surrounded him, all wands raised and pointed toward him.

"Any sudden moves Potter," Malfoy warned. "And we will kill you."

"_How about me?"_

Malfoy didn't even have time to turn around as he was blasted forward into the crowd of robed figures. From where he used to stand, Mark stood there, his dark metal wand drawn.

"Well, it's about time," Harry grumbled. "Let's get them!"

Mark smiled as he flicked his wand, causing the circle of Death Eaters to fly back several feet in a tangled heap. A few curses flew toward his direction and he batted them away with his wand.

"Want to fight more challenging opponents?" Mark asked.

Harry smiled and nodded. Mark charged outside and blew apart another Death Eater as he ran down the street. Slowly, the Death Eaters became aware of two kids that were taking them down like they were nothing.

"_Crucio!"_ a cold female voice shrieked. Harry leapt to the side and faced the caster. The curse flew harmlessly past him and blew a hole in a nearby store.

"Hi Trixie!" Harry taunted. Bellatrix hissed and sent another curse toward him. This time, Harry simply sent it back.

"NEVER CALL ME THAT!" Bellatrix screamed. She waved her wand, creating a line of fire that traced Harry wherever he moved. Harry ran around for a few seconds before leaping toward Bellatrix. Confused, she ducked, and was hit by her own curse. Yelping, she shouted out the counter curse and quickly put out the flames on her robes.

A violent jolt shook the ground, throwing Harry to the ground. Everyone paused, searching for the source of the explosion.

"Ah, they have finally started," Mark muttered. He eyes seemed clouded.

"Tersan and Voldemort? I have got to see this."

Mark smiled cruelly, startling Harry. "Yes. It is time to see what the famed Voldemort is capable of."

"Do not speak of the Dark Lord's name!" Bellatrix screeched. She raised her wand to throw a curse, but Mark was much faster. He turned around and pointed his wand at her.

"_Exanimo!"_ he hissed. Harry had never seen such a spell, and would never desire to see it used again. Bellatrix started screaming and thrashing on the ground. A golden light started to flow from her body and into Mark's wand. Slowly, the female Death Eater started to gasp and choke as her life force was sucked away. Her skin tore all over her body, releasing torrents of blood. Harry could only watch in dread as the final step of the spell took place. With a final scream of agonizing pain, Bellatrix's soul left her mouth and into the black wand.

Mark turned to Harry with an expression filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry that you had to see that Harry. The life force acquisition curse is the most painful and sad way to die. I killed her in this fashion to make her suffer for all the crimes that she has committed."

Harry however, felt no sadness or remorse for her. Instead, he felt a strange level of peace. "It's alright Mark. I would have killed her myself anyway."

Without warning, the sky started moving in the form of a whirlpool. Harry whipped his head, astonished.

"What is that?" Harry asked in alarm.

Mark took one look at the sky and screamed, "DON'T LOOK AT IT! GET DOWN!"

Harry barely had time to react before the most destructive power ever used by any magical entity came into existence…

Tersan walked straight forward to Voldemort, knocking aside any Death Eaters that happened to cross his path. One courageous Death Eater stood in front of him and sent a killing curse in his direction. Without hesitation, Tersan flicked his hand at the spell, bending space itself and redirected it straight back. The Death Eater could only watch in astonishment as his own curse headed back toward him, killing him.

Voldemort was standing in the middle of the street, giving off a cold high-pitched laughter. Tersan watched him for a few seconds and approached him.

"Well, well. A little boy is going to challenge the Dark Lord," a nearby Death Eater mocked him. Tersan ignored him and shouted, "Lord Voldemort! I wish to gauge your power. Do you accept?"

Voldemort looked at him with narrow red slit eyes and laughed. "I don't have time for this. Kill the boy!"

Death Eaters snapped to attention and raised their wands.

"Perhaps you require a demonstration of my seriousness," Tersan suggested. He raised his hand and flicked it at the Death Eaters, like he would do to an annoying fly. Soundlessly, all the surrounding robed figures, with the exception of Voldemort, flew back several meters. Voldemort's eyes widened slightly. Slowly, he drew his wand and raised it at Tersan.

"Perhaps you will be a bit of a challenge," Voldemort drawled. "Or maybe not. _Avada Kedavra_!"

Tersan simply sidestepped the spell easily, given the distance between the two. He drew a silver wand and responded with one of his own. _"Glacio!"_

A blue jet of freezing energy shot forward, creating a mist of ice particles along its path. Voldemort raised a shield, only to be encased in a thick sphere of ice. With a blinding flash of light, Voldemort shattered the ice and threw curse after curse toward Tersan, who deflected them with ease.

"Very nice!" Tersan praised. "I am going to enjoy this!"

Voldemort though, was not. He was trying to figure out how this pint-sized kid was not only able to defend himself against him, but _smile_ as he attacked him. Not even Dumbledore could do that with such ease.

"Who are you?" Voldemort demanded. Tersan simply smiled and hurled a fireball at him. Voldemort barely dodged this and sent another killing curse at him. Tersan laughed again and dodged it, returning another in the process.

"Is this all the famed Dark Lord can do?" he taunted. "If so, I believe that even a Hogwarts seventh year can defeat him."

Another jet of green light headed toward him. Tersan smirked and warped away, appearing behind Voldemort. Flicking his wand, he cast the same one that Harry had at the platform. Caught unaware, Voldemort was blown up high into the air. Tersan stepped toward Voldemort as he landed and was hit with a purple beam of light.

Grunting, Tersan shook off the spell and leveled his wand at Voldemort. "Well, that was unexpected. I'll have to be more careful next time." He raised his wand to point straight up in the air, then brought it down very fast. A thin beam of white light shot from the sky and struck the ground in front of him, disintegrating the ground. Tersan gave the beam a very gentle tap of his wand, and it headed toward Voldemort rapidly. Voldemort conjured the same silver shield he had used in the Department of Mysteries to block Dumbledore's spell.

Raising the shield above his head, Voldemort was startled by the force behind the spell when it made contact, generating a low ringing sound that gradually increased in volume and force. Unfortunately, as long as he was in that position, he was vulnerable to attack. Tersan didn't waste any time and flicked his wand. A ripple of golden light shot from the ground. Voldemort conjured a ripple of black light in response, canceling the spell.

Suddenly, Tersan had an inspiration. "Hey Tom!" Tersan used Voldemort's real name. "Do you know why your surname is Riddle?"

Voldemort snarled and sent a black orb of crackling energy at Tersan in response.

"Because you're a joke!" Tersan laughed in a sinister way.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

Tersan was caught unaware and the killing curse struck him. He glowed green for a few seconds, and fell down.

Voldemort gave a cold high-pitched laugh. "You are no match for the Dark Lord. It doesn't matter what you are capable of anymore. You are now, dead." He gave another cold laugh. As he turned around to leave, Tersan stirred.

"I'm not dead Voldemort," he groaned. Voldemort whirled around in shock.

"How can you still be alive?" Voldemort hissed.

Tersan gave him a weak smile. "Well, one other person has survived, but also nearly killed you in the process. How much of a shock is one other that survives it?"

Voldemort narrowed his eyes. "Quite a bit. But now, it doesn't matter. If I can't kill Potter directly, I will start by killing his friends, slowly. Soon, he will fall so deeply into despair that he will beg me to kill him!"

Tersan stood up, fury lining his face. "You are dishonorable. It doesn't matter now. You have just lost a very powerful ally."

Confused, Voldemort hurled a black orb of fire at Tersan. "I don't care what I have lost from you boy! Your gifts are of no concern to me."

Tersan's eyes flashed. "We shall see!"

His eyes flared white and lightning started to crackle around him. The black orb disappeared in a puff as the bolts around him intensified. Suddenly, Tersan gave a cackle of laughter. The coldness behind the sound caused even Voldemort to falter.

Tersan started levitating in the air until he was level with the roof of the houses next to him. He lifted his hands straight above his head and whispered, _"Aetherius Fulgor."_

The clouds and sky above him started to rotate in a swirl. A bolt of lightning erupted from Tersan's hands to the center of the sky whirlpool. The vortex opened, exposing an infinitely deep spinning tunnel with a light brighter than the sun shining from the end. There was a faint impression that there was a great presence watching from the source of the light. Voldemort could only watch in absolute shock as beams of light started to rotate faster and faster. With an explosive clap, a beam of bluish white light with the diameter of half a mile shot from the end of the vortex down toward Voldemort.

Voldemort knew that if the blast struck, he would perish, prophecy or no prophecy. Forced to use the most powerful and darkest spells that he was capable of performing, he raised his wand toward the colossal phenomenon, he screamed out the most devastating dark curse that was used only once by the founder of evil.

"_ATRA ACCENDO!"_

A massive dark cloud of pure black fire erupted forth from his wand like an erupting volcano headed toward the end of the blast. The moment the two phenomenal powers collided, there was a majestic explosion. Never before has any witch or wizard seen such a display of power, not even from Dumbledore himself.

Thunder of the Heavens and Dark Fire, the two greatest powers the world has ever seen since the time of Merlin, collided. There was no force, but everyone in a two hundred mile radius was knocked flat. Space fractured, sunlight warped, and matter broke.

Hogsmeade was no more; a crater now took its place. As the two forces pushed against one another, neither relenting, the world around them slowly broke. It seemed to last forever, and in a sense it did, but it finally ended. Voldemort collapsed down in exhaustion as well as Tersan.

Both lay gasping for air as the sky stilled and flames settled. Slowly, Tersan stood up.

"Well, that was fun," said Tersan, all traces of exhaustion gone from his voice. "Shall we continue?" As he spoke, a white sheen of energy started surrounding his body.

Voldemort raised his head to look at the boy in utter shock. He couldn't believe it. His own power was virtually depleted while the strange boy's had returned to normal.

"What's wrong? Tired?" teased Tersan. "Or are you just too weak to fight?"

For once in his lifetime, Voldemort found himself unable to respond. He had lost too much power. Tersan watched him with a disappointed expression.

"You know," Tersan informed him. "I had actually considered joining you. If you had been honorable, you would have had my allegiance."

Feeling a little of his strength return, Voldemort stood up in an uneasy position. "Perhaps I made a mistake."

Tersan gave him a calculating look. "You have not made any mere mistake. You have broken the laws of combat, and even threatened to use foul methods to accomplish your deeds."

Voldemort finally realized what Tersan had been trying to do. He was trying to see if he was worth joining. Apparently, he had been seen unworthy.

"No," he whispered softly. Tersan nodded. "You see now. I am joining Harry Potter in his war against you. Be careful now."

Voldemort stood there for a moment, carefully inspecting his surroundings. Tersan was only a few meters away from him. Slowly, he pointed his wand at Tersan without lifting it up. "I certainly will be. I will return, and this time, you will not be able to stop me."

Narrowing his eyes, Tersan replied, "There is nothing that I cannot stop, and there is nothing that will ever be unstoppable to me." As he spoke, he didn't notice that Voldemort was muttering a spell until he saw the flash of green light. At that distance, it was impossible to dodge the spell. The only thing he could do was either take the blast or deflect it.

Voldemort watched with relish as Tersan stood there, watching the spell head toward him. He knew that nothing could stop the killing curse, with the exception of Potter, or so he had thought. A split second before the spell reached him, Tersan raised his wand with blinding speed over his head with its tip pointed toward the spell.

"_Tegere!"_

Shards of clear material that looked like glass flew into place over him, constructing a crystal dome with thousands of facets. The killing curse splashed into the barrier and shattered into smaller beams that broke down even smaller until none were visible.

"_N-no, t-that's not possible!"_ Voldemort gasped.

Tersan slowly lowered his wand, causing the crystalline shield to break apart. "I have told you. There is nothing that I cannot stop."

"How did you block the killing curse? There is no known spell that can do that!"

"Perhaps it is an unknown spell." Tersan locked his eyes on the snake-like being.

Voldemort slowly backed away. "You are going to kill me now?"

"No. That is up to Harry to do. Leave now, you don't want to face Dumbledore in this condition."

"Why are you giving me advice?" asked Voldemort.

Tersan shook his head. "I'm not. Ever since you struck me with the killing curse, you have helped me restore certain lost memories. I owe you that much."

"What memories?"

"That, is none of your concern Voldemort. Until next time."

Voldemort glared at him. "Until next time," he agreed.

Tersan nodded and Voldemort Apparated away. He remained standing there for a few minutes until he felt the presence of his avatar return. Without turning around, he said aloud, "Is Harry alright?"

"Yes, I am," Harry responded from behind him. Tersan finally turned around and looked at Harry straight in the eye.

"I've made my decision."

"What is your choice?" Harry asked, dreading the worst.

Tersan broke into a smile. "I'm joining _you_ Harry. Not Voldemort."

Harry's face broke out a broad smile. "Thanks Tersan. I knew I could count on you."

"You didn't know, Harry," Tersan said softly. The look on his face wiped Harry's smile off. "But nevertheless, I didn't join him. Somehow, I feel like I have made a decision that will change the course of my life."

Mark breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, at least you are still on our side. We now know that Harry is going to win the war."

Tersan started smiling, then broke down in a full-blown laugh. "You know, this is the strangest war that I have ever fought."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"A prophesized war, that is. I've only fought in wars that were based in rivalries. Never before have I participated in such a kind," Tersan explained.

As they headed out of the crater, Harry muttered under his breath, "Well, there's always a first time."


	11. A Greater Threat

A/N: Thank you Fox of the Nova for your kind and motivating reviews. By the way, I am a male, 14 years of age, turning fifteen on Wednesday.

Thank you becky red for your kind review. I'll try to keep the story good.

Thank you kellyclarksonfan for your review. Do not attack me! This chapter was rather difficult to write. I even had troubles figuring out the proper title.

APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAY! I HAD A WRITERS BLOCK FOR A FEW DAYS!

Dodges a blow from kellyclarksonfan

Anyway, here's the chapter. If you have any tips for the story, please supply them. Thanks all!

Lost Memories

When Harry, Tersan, and Mark arrived at Hogwarts, he found the entire Hogwarts staff waiting anxiously for him in the Entrance Hall. Needless to say, every teacher was shocked to see whom they believed, to be two Mark Tersans.

Tersan himself had collapsed with exhaustion, and Mark couldn't do anything without the consent of his source. Harry was taken by Dumbledore directly to his office.

"Out with it Potter!" Snape snapped sharply. "What have you done?"

Harry glared back furiously. "I didn't do anything!"

"Nothing?" Snape asked dangerously, his eyes flashing in anger. "Then why don't you explain the destruction of Hogsmeade!"

"Serverus," Dumbledore warned softly. Snape stopped shouting and simply glared at Harry.

"Now, Harry," Dumbledore began. "Please do tell us what happened at Hogsmeade."

Harry sighed in frustration. "Personally, I had nothing to do with the destruction of Hogsmeade. Second, I couldn't even see anything due to all that light. Third, all I can tell you is that Voldemort attacked Hogsmeade and Tersan fought him!" Harry's eyes widened, realizing what he had just revealed.

"Tersan?" Dumbledore asked. "Do you mean Mark Tersan?"

"Most certainly not," Snape spat out. "Potter never calls a person by their surname. Obviously, this Tersan as another person entirely."

"And how would you know?" Harry asked angrily. "You weren't there."

"Enough," Dumbledore said sternly. "Harry, we need to know. You cannot keep holding information from us."

The door suddenly opened. Tersan stood there, supported by Mark.

Snape rounded on them angrily, unaware that Mark and Tersan looked exactly alike. "Mr. Tersan, I don't know how you entered the headmaster's office, but you will leave immediately or I will do more than take points off your house."

Tersan closed his eyes in irritation. "Harry, I don't know how you tolerate him, but I cannot."

Snape finally realized that there were two of the same students in front of him. "Mr. Tersan, if you are attempting to play some kind of prank-"

Tersan lifted himself up to a standing position. Although his height was just a bit taller than Harry, he demeanor was intimidating and Snape fell silent.

"You," he said hoarsely. "Will be silent. Your presence here is unnecessary." He pointed his finger at Snape. There was a loud crack, and Snape was nowhere to be seen.

Dumbledore looked cautiously at Tersan, then at where Snape used to be. "I hope you won't be causing any trouble, Mister…?"

Tersan groaned and sat down in midair, much to the surprise of Dumbledore. "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, there is something that I need to tell you. Yes, your questions about Hogsmeade will be answered, but no, any questions about me or my origins will not be answered, unless I say otherwise."

Dumbledore nodded. "At least you can tell me your name?"

Tersan gave him an odd look. "Snape has been saying it for the past five minutes, or have you not noticed?"

"So it's Tersan? But that is Mark's surname."

Tersan gestured to himself and Mark. "My name is Tersan Anthrias. He is Mark Tersan."

"Then what is the relationship between the two of you?" Dumbledore asked, confused. "Are you family?"

Mark laughed this time. "No Professor, we are much more closer than that. Are familiar with the concept of a living manifested entity of representation?"

Dumbledore gasped. "You are an avatar! But there hasn't been one since the time of the founders!"

"Mark _is_ that very avatar," said Tersan as he stood up next to Mark. The similarity between the two was undeniable. For once in his lifetime, Dumbledore found himself at a loss of words.

"I have lived since the time of the founders, Dumbledore," Tersan continued. "How I am here will not be told to you. I have told Harry, and I warn you, if you attempt to look within his mind for the answer, I believe that you will run into a rather nasty trap."

Dumbledore looked at Tersan warily. "What do you want? And what have you done to Professor Snape?"

"What I want," said Tersan. "Is for you to leave myself, my avatar, and Harry alone in these matters. Do not question either Harry or my avatar about me. As for Snape, I refuse to address him with his title, he is unconscious within his own classroom."

Dumbledore sighed, irritated. "I accept your terms. Now, please tell me about what happened at Hogsmeade."

Tersan blinked. "Oh. That was something between Voldemort and myself. I wanted to gauge his capabilities, and I believed I got carried away."

"Carried away," Dumbledore said in disbelief. "You destroyed Hogsmeade and all that live within it."

"Oh!"

Dumbledore and Tersan both looked at Mark, who had an extremely sheepish expression on his face.

Mark began to speak. "The people that lived in Hogsmeade are not dead."

Dumbledore's features lit up. "They're not? Then where are they?"

"An isolated dimension. I took the liberty of taking them away before Tersan and Voldemort's power collided," Mark explained. "As for Hogsmeade, it can be easily restored. Tersan, you have the honors."

Smiling, Tersan closed his eyes and muttered several incomprehensible phrases. The ground rumbled for a moment, followed by a hiss that sounded like released gas. "Hogsmeade restored. Your turn."

Mark nodded and moved his metallic wand in a wide circle in front of himself. There was a loud click, followed by a deep clunking noise. "People returned. Anything else?"

"That will be all," said Dumbledore. "I need an answer however, on how you acquired such powers."

Tersan's eyes flashed angrily. "Our powers are of our own concern! I had already stated that these types of information will not be questioned."

"I merely wish to ensure the safety of the students of this school," said Dumbledore. "I cannot allow you to spread knowledge of that level freely around this school."

Tersan cried out in disgust and destroyed the chair that he sat in. "You wish to ensure the safety of this school and its occupants. You wish to learn of Harry's source of power. You wish to learn our source of power. Perhaps you would like to know that I nearly joined Voldemort in his quest of ruling all mankind."

Dumbledore's eyes darkened. "If you join him, I will be forced to take direct action against you."

Tersan's lips curled. "I don't care about anything that is relevant to this school or its students. I will do whatever I wish, even if it means killing everyone of these school kids!"

Dumbledore stood up angrily. "I thank you for restoring Hogsmeade and its inhabitants, but I will refuse to allow you to remain within Hogwarts. You have presented yourself too great of a threat to stay here. Leave immediately."

Suddenly, lightning blazed from Tersan's body and ensnared the headmaster, preventing all movement while lifting him up into the air. Dumbledore struggled, to no avail. For the first time in his life, he actually felt entirely powerless.

"I told you," Tersan said coldly. "I will do whatever I wish. There is nothing you can do to stop me."

The lightning snapped out, and Tersan stormed out of the office followed by his avatar.

Dumbledore sat down in his seat gingerly. "Harry, please don't follow him in his footsteps. I fear for your well-being."

Harry stood up from his seat so fast that the chair was sent flying back. "Since when have you ever cared?" Harry asked hotly. "All you so was send me back to the Dursleys every summer. Sometimes, I wish I was fighting Voldemort than living with them. At least I would have something to do instead of sitting around listening to my aunt and uncle complain about me."

"Harry-"

"Do you know why Tom Riddle became Voldemort?" Harry interrupted. "It's because you sent him back to that muggle orphanage every summer where the kids there treated him badly. He had no friends to turn to, so he started hating. You have stopped my mail between my friends, preventing my to contact my friends when I have problems that I need to speak about."

Dumbledore was silent.

"You know," Harry observed. "There isn't much difference between Tom and I. For one thing, we are both halfblood. But the most important thing is, you sent us to places where you deemed safe, but was hell for us."

Dumbledore started to speak, but Harry cut him off. "If not for Dobby who was secretly sending my mail back and forth, I may have gone mad and became the next dark lord. Stay out of my business Dumbledore."

With that, Harry stormed out of the office, down the stairs, past the gargoyle, and found Tersan sprawled out in the corridor.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry held one of Tersan's arms over his shoulder while the Mark carried the other.

"I never thought I would see you this exhausted," Harry remarked as they headed toward Gryffindor tower. "Actually, I had believed that you were inexhaustible "

Tersan grimaced. "I'm not exhausted. I simply have lost some control over my motor functions."

"What caused that?"

"Voldemort's killing curse."

Harry nearly dropped Tersan. _"You were hit by his killing curse and survived?"_

Tersan glanced back at him. "So did you."

"But that was because my mother protected me!" Harry protested.

Tersan sighed. "Avatar, you explain."

"Why do you always call him 'avatar'? He has a name you know," Harry cut in.

Tersan remained expressionless. "That's because he is just an avatar. The name he has is just for him to blend in with human society."

Harry started to protest again, but Mark silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Harry, there is no point to argue. I am what I am. He simply reminds me of my position. Don't mind him, I'm used to it."

"Fine," Harry said in disgust. "Just tell me how you survived the curse."

"I had three other avatars to take the brunt of the damage," Tersan said simply.

Harry stared at him. "Three other avatars? Just how many do you have?"

"What do you mean you have more avatars?" Mark asked.

"Ever since Voldemort used the killing curse on me, he jarred loose certain memories that were somehow locked away in my own mind. I now remember the other avatars that I have," Tersan said thoughtfully. Looking to Mark, he said, "You are the Avatar of the Light."

Mark raised an eyebrow. "I know."

"Who are the rest?" Harry asked with keen curiosity. Arriving at the Gryffindor portrait, Harry opened his mouth to say the password, but at a simple wave of Tersan's hand, the portrait opened. Harry didn't even bother to ask as they entered the common room

"The rest," Tersan explained as he sat down on a couch with a groan, "Are of the Dark, Living, And Dead."

Harry snorted with laughter. "If you ask me, it kinda blends together. Why not have Light blend with Living, and Dark with Dead?"

Tersan closed his eyes and leaned back. "I don't know. Maybe there were conflicting powers."

"What were the problems?"

Sighing, Tersan started to explain. "Light is the power of peace, light obviously, and strangely, destruction. Aside from those, Light can also control time, emotion, defense, and sight. Life has the power to create life, return life, and heal. It also has the ability to change one's fate. Life cannot kill."

"But they sound so alike! What could have caused such problems?"

"As I said, Light is based on peace and originality. Life could restore life to anything, and especially raising the dead back to life. The main conflict between the two was that Light can kill while Life cannot."

"I get it now," said Harry. "What about Dark and Dead?"

Tersan laughed at this. "Dark is crazy, having the capability to bring out the darkness and madness in anything. His powers are of space, desire, shadows, and mind. The Avatar of the Dead has a calm personality. He also has the capability to bring take life, but also to forbid death, or in other words, the inability to die, also known as immortality. He cannot however, heal. The rest of his powers consist of controlling the dead, such as spirits."

"Immortality," Harry said quietly. "Is exactly what Voldemort is searching for. He is using so many rituals that he just might accomplish that."

Mark roared with laughter, startling Harry. "IMPOSSIBLE! All those rituals are made by those who searched for immortality. It doesn't matter how many you take, you must be granted immunity to death."

"They're probably imitated from the rituals that the Dead avatar once demonstrated to humans about averting death, not to defeat it directly," said Tersan. "You may avert death for as long as you can, but in the end, it will find you."

"Sounds powerful," Harry remarked.

"Only in his field of power," Tersan muttered. "Nothing but death."

"So let me guess," said Harry. "You are going to look for them?"

Tersan looked at him. "Obviously."

Harry leaned back and pondered for a moment. "What's going to happen once you unite with them?"

Smiling, Tersan said with menace, "I will have more than enough power to bring the world to its knees. Nothing will be able to stop me. Not even if you, Dumbledore, Voldemort, and the founders of Hogwarts all united together."

( 0 0 0 )

Unknown to the trio, they were being observed by an ancient old man with half moon glasses through a viewing portrait. The portrait had the power to look anywhere within Hogwarts at his wish, and he was currently watching and listening to what the mysterious Tersan Anthrias was saying. What he had just heard gave him a bit of a shock.

Tersan was more dangerous than he had thought. He couldn't allow Tersan to reach full power.

Dumbledore moved around carefully for his body still hurt from the electrical binds that Tersan had placed on him. As much as he hated it, he was forced to make a decision. He walked over to his fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder. Throwing it into the fire, he called clearly, "Cornelius Fudge!"

Green flames erupted and Dumbledore was whisked away to the office of the Minister of Magic. Fudge was surprised to see someone pop out of his fireplace, but was even more shocked to see Albus Dumbledore himself within his office.

"W-what do you want?" Fudge asked nervously, his hand itching toward his wand.

Dumbledore waved his hand impatiently, causing Fudge to flinch. "Cornelius, we have a new enemy. He is more deadly than Voldemort."

Fudge yelped at Dumbledore's use of Voldemort's name and gave a squeaky response. "Who is he?"

Realizing the source of Fudge's fears, Dumbledore sighed impatiently. "It's not me Cornelius. His name is Tersan Anthrias."

The minister frowned. "I don't know anyone by that name. Are you sure that person told you the truth?"

"Very sure," said Dumbledore. "But I have no time to argue with you right now, he is about to become very dangerous."

Fudge leaned back, unsettled. He was surprised by Dumbledore's mood. There were not many things that could invoke such urgency in him, aside from Voldemort himself.

"Are you absolutely certain about this threat?" Fudge asked slowly. Ever since he ignored Dumbledore's warning about Voldemort's return, his current credibility was dangerously low.

Dumbledore looked at him dangerously. "There is no doubt about this. You must assemble all the security forces that you can to halt this threat."

"Where is this Tersan Anthrias located now?"

Dumbledore sighed. "At Hogwarts. I cannot get him to leave."

Fudge's eyes widened. "You cannot get him to leave? The great almighty Albus Dumbledore, the only one that You-Know-Who ever feared cannot even get this threat out of his own school?"

"Cornelius!" Dumbledore said loudly, close to shouting. Fudge cringed. "This is no time for petty debates. I will inform you on all I know about him, and what he is going to do. I remind you though, if he is allowed to reach full power, he will be more deadly than even Merlin turning dark."

In three consecutive hours, Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was joined by the Ministry of Magic to defend themselves against this new threat.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry looked at Tersan uncertainly. "You are not going to try and rule the world are you?"

Tersan burst out laughing. "If I wanted to, my avatar would have done it a long time ago."

Harryglared at him sternly, shutting him up. Abruptly, Tersan whipped his head around toward the fire.

"What's wrong?" asked Harry. "Do you see something?"

"I don't know," Tersan said, sounding odd. "I just felt as though a presence moved through the fire."

Harry glanced at the fire. "The only thing that I know capable of moving through fire is someone using floo powder."

Tersan shrugged. "Well, I'm not entirely fluent with your type of magic. You know how I travel."

Harry nodded. "You still haven't given me the knowledge of warping yet."

"No problem," said Tersan. Drawing his wand, he pointed it at Harry's head and closed his eyes. Harry felt a gentle probing sensation on his Mindcraft barriers and lowered a section of them. Gently, information flowed into his brain, organizing itself, unlike the key that simply dumped all the information within his mind.

"Is it helpful?" Tersan asked as he lowered his wand.

Harry nodded. "Can I try it out?"

"What's stopping you?"

Harry grinned and focused on his destination and stepped forward. Petunia Dursley was sitting in the living room watching the television with her enormous husband and gigantic son. Without warning, a distortion appeared in front of them, and Harry materialized.

"Hello!" Harry said cheerfully, ignoring the yelps of surprise from the family. "Goodbye!"

Harry warped back to the Gryffindor common room, laughing madly. "You should have seen the looks on their faces!"

"Where did you go?" Tersan asked amusedly.

"The Dursleys," Harry said calmly, then burst out laughing again. Tersan simply smiled and shook his head.

"What next Harry?" Mark asked with a grin. "Surprise Voldemort?"

Harry stopped laughing. "Probably not. I might get myself captured in the process."

"True," Mark agreed, then added quietly under his breath, "Avatar of the Light."

"I'm sorry?"

Mark glanced at Harry. "Avatar of the Light. It's what I am."

"What about it?" Harry asked.

Mark gave him a small smile. "I've never used the term before. It's a little strange that I am reminded by Tersan himself."

"Speaking of which!" Tersan said loudly. He stood up from his couch and walked over to the fire. "I should start searching for the rest of my avatars."

"And how would you do that?" asked Harry.

Tersan opened and closed his mouth several times. "I'm not sure. I suppose I can start by locating them through my control links."

"Control links?"

"The link that I have with my avatars that enables me to control them," explained Tersan.

"Oh."

Tersan knelt down next to the fire and held out a hand. Harry's eyes widened as he saw the flames leap from the fire itself into the form of a ball. Slowly, the flames started to curl around his hand and started swirling in the form of a cyclone on its side.

"Tersan, what are you doing?" Harry asked nervously. Tersan didn't say anything as he stood up and held the fire cyclone upright in front of him. He started whispering in a strange language though Harry couldn't hear most of what he said; he picked up what sounded like musical tones.

To Harry's amazement, the cyclone turned into fiber-like strands of light that started unraveling itself from a coil. Countless strands seemed to unravel and reach out in every direction. Almost immediately, one of the fibers appeared to go taut and started reeling in. The rest of the strands stopped their random probing and joined the single strand, pulling.

"Well, that was surprising," Tersan said thoughtfully. "The Avatar of the Living appears to be very close. My locator should bring him here momentarily."

"How close?" asked Harry, noticing that Tersan was looking straight toward the portrait hole. Tersan didn't have time to answer as the person entered the common room.

Alexander Evans.


	12. Avatar of the Living

A/N: It's a rather short chapter since I don't have much to say in this one. The next should have a little more action than this.

Thanks to:

Fox of the Nova: Picks you up from the floor Well, things will get more complicated in further chapters. Alexander will play a very important part in Tersan's rise to full power so don't worry. As for your comment on my use of imagery, I'm flattered. Personally, I thought that I hadn't used enough detail, and I still do. I'll do my best though!

shion20: Your wish is granted. Tips like yours help me write this story better. Additional explanations will be given in further chapters.

musicalmonk17: I didn't come up with the Latin words. They are actual words if you translate them. Thanks for telling me that you believe that this is one of the most creative stories that you have ever read. I appreciate it. As for how I am going to progress with this, I don't really know. It just comes from my reviewers' tips, my own imagination, and other stories.

becky red: I appreciate your support. I will do my best, as I have said to Fox of the Nova.

kellyclarsonfan: Before the _"Tarantallegra!"_ can reach me, I will cast _"Diverto!"_ to send the spell in another direction. After that, I suppose you will cast your stunning spell. I will simply step aside and cast _"Aboleo!"_ and send you and your surrounding area into oblivion, creating a mile across and half-mile deep size crater. Since I don't want a good reviewer to die, I will command the Avatar of the Living to restore you to life. In the end, a simple _"Redintegro!" _will repair the damage.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORTIVE REVIEWS! I SHALL ENDEAVOR TO CREATE AN ENJOYABLE STORY FOR ALL TO READ!

THANKS TO EVERYONE!

Tips are always welcome.

Avatar of the Living

Tersan stared at Alex, who simply stared back. The light fiber slowly faded away with the cyclone as they continued to look at one another.

"What?" asked Alex, breaking the silence.

"That was the last thing I expected you to do, avatar," Tersan said quietly, the amusement apparent in his voice.

Harry looked between the two. "What are you talking about?"

Tersan broke away his gaze and looked at Harry. "Well you see, about one and a half thousand years ago, I told the Avatar of the Living to follow me through a bloodline. The last thing I had expected him to do was follow me through this _particular _bloodline."

"Harry," Alex asked nervously. "What is he talking about? And isn't that Mark Tersan?"

Mark stepped forward. "I am Mark Tersan. This here is Tersan Anthrias."

Alex stared at him. "Are you family?"

Harry sighed and motioned for them to sit down. "Alex, this is Tersan. The other is Mark. Tersan, this is my cousin, Alexander Evans."

"Cousin?" Mark asked. "I didn't know you had a cousin."

Harry shrugged. "I didn't find out until today."

Tersan looked suspiciously at the fire again before stating his next question. "How could you not know about this? He's family to you."

Harry shot Tersan a warning look. "Don't you go looking into his mind looking for answers Tersan."

Alex looked at Tersan. "You can read minds?"

Tersan gave him the same expression that Snape had given Harry when he had asked that question. "The mind is not a book Alexander. It is an extremely complex unit of storage. What Harry meant by looking within your mind was experiencing all your memories in chronological order at an accelerated pace."

Alex moved back in his chair. "Well don't be looking anytime soon. I'd like to keep my thoughts to myself."

Tersan nodded. "Now, I need to explain to you why you are here."

Confused, Alex asked, "What do you mean by here? You mean at school?"

"Alex, I think we had better start with explaining who Tersan is and what Mark is," Harry interjected. Over the next hour, Harry explained how he had first met Tersan in his vision and everything that had happened since then. Alex was a good listener; he rarely interrupted him. When he had finished, Alex was watching him with wide eyes.

"Amazing," Alex said with awe.

"Not really," Harry grumbled. "Nearly everything like this happens to me."

Tersan waved a hand to get their attention. "Now then Alex, you are now familiar with the avatars that I have. What I need to tell you now is that one of my avatars reside within your very bloodstreams."

Harry's eyes widened. "An avatar is in him? You didn't tell me this!"

Tersan turned to him. "I was unable to explain because Alexander walked into the room. I will explain now."

Alex looked slightly nervous. "You're not going to do anything painful are you?"

Mark laughed softly. "Not at all. He's just going to explain how the avatar got into you, or rather, what it's doing there."

"That is correct avatar," said Tersan. "Alexander, Avatar of the Living resides within your blood and soul."

"How?"

"If you would allow me to explain," Tersan said patiently. "The Avatar of the Living integrated himself into your bloodline over one thousand five hundred years ago, ending up in you now. You see at the time, he was virtually useless, having no use or purpose. Therefore, I commanded him to follow me through time using a bloodline. He was to do anything to keep the bloodline active down to the last person. Now, he is within you." He looked at Harry. Slowly, his eyes focused, then widened abruptly. "The both of you!"

Harry stared at the back of his hand, examining the blood vessels that lay there. There was the essence of an avatar in his blood! A sudden thought came to him.

"Tersan, is that how I was able to survive the killing curse?" Harry asked abruptly.

Suddenly, a ring of soft laughter escaped Alex's lips. "Yes Harry. That is exactly how you survived it. The blood protection wrought by your mother's sacrifice did nothing to ensure your survival, only to protect harm from finding you."

Harry stared at Alex in shock. "You're not Alex, are you?"

"Alex" shook his head. "Not right now. I am the Avatar of the Living. My essence resides in this body while my power resides in yours."

"Can I use that power?" Harry asked with astonishment.

"Alex"shook his head. "You have to be an avatar of Tersan to do that."

Harry looked disappointed. "Oh."

"For the moment," said "Alex". "I reside within this body. In result, I cannot control my powers. It appears that Alexander is regaining consciousness. I will relinquish my control now, and leave the rest of the details up to you."

Alex's eyes seemed to clear up, then take focus. "Harry, what happened?"

"Well," Harry said slowly. "It would appear that the Avatar of the Living just spoke through you."

"We will have to begin extraction of him immediately," Tersan announced. "I cannot wait for this conversation to continue in this state for I have other matters to attend to."

He held out his hand toward Alex, who reluctantly held out his own. Quickly, Tersan grasped the outreached hand and Alex released a hiss of pain. When Tersan released Alex's hand, a drop of blood was floating visibly above his own hand.

Alex looked at his own hand searching for signs of penetration, but found none. "What did you do?"

Tersan looked at the small drop inquisitively before answering. "I took a drop of your blood to harness the essence of the Avatar of the Living. Now I need a drop of Harry's blood. Do you mind? Thanks."

Harry watched with interest as Tersan took both drops and mixed them together, forming a single drop that started to swirl. Slowly, a variety of colors started to rotate with the swirling drop. Tersan chuckled. "How in the world did you get yourself split up like this?" he muttered.

"What do you mean by split up?" asked Harry.

Levitating the still-swirling drop of blood, Tersan turned to him and replied, "Well, my avatar was supposed to remain in one, and only one, bloodline. Somehow, he has divided himself into two bloodlines. One is the Potter bloodline, and the other is the Evans bloodline."

"Maybe it was because of my parent's marriage," Harry suggested. Tersan shrugged.

"We're going to have to ask him when I reunite his,_ halves_," said Tersan, visible restraining his laughter. He raised his own hand and released something silvery, almost like a fluid. Harry suspected it to be some sort of a spell.

A hissing sound started to emanate the silvery red blood as the rotating colored lights started to rotate faster and faster. The lights increased in brightness until it was blinding, forcing Harry and Alex to turn away. Only Tersan and Mark were able to watch it with no visible effect. Abruptly, the light dimmed, forming a humanoid form that focused into Tersan's image.

"Damn!" Harry complained. "That was bright! Do you always have to do that?"

The glowing light from the forming avatar slowly faded. "Not always," said the avatar.

"Now then," Tersan said with slight chuckles. "Can you please explain how you got yourself split up?"

"Oh!" the avatar said with embarrassment. "It was an error on my part. I had not anticipated for James Potter to marry Lily Evans. In result, I was forced to split up."

"Wait!" Harry suddenly interrupted. "You had said that it was because of you that I survived the killing curse. Can you explain?"

The avatar looked to Tersan, who nodded. "When Voldemort attempted to kill you, he threatened the embodiment for my powers, which was you. In result, my powers kicked in their self-preservation capabilities and kept you alive."

"But what about the blood protection that my mother placed on me?" asked Harry. "Did that do anything to help me?"

"No," said the avatar, shaking his head. "It did nothing at all. All it actually does is prevent harm from finding you, not that it's of any use now."

"How so?"

The avatar stared at him. "Voldemort's ritual. Or have you forgotten? He took your blood. Now he can pass through the wards at Number 4 Privet Drive."

Harry mentally kicked himself for not realizing that point. "So what's your name anyway?"

The avatar looked away. "I have no name. It is unnecessary."

"Come on," Harry insisted. "There must have been some name that you must have used to blend in with society."

"It's Calsor," said Tersan.

Harry stared at him. "You've never spoken the name of an avatar before."

"Well I…" Tersan trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

"HAH!" Harry yelled triumphantly. "You have some explaining to do."

Tersan shot him a furious glare before turning away with a guilty expression on his face. "I was angry at the ava-, _Mark_, for stalling so long in finding a proper candidate to release me from the Chamber of Isolation."

"So that's it?" Harry admonished. "Just because of that?"

Tersan whirled to face him, rage burning in his eyes. "ONE THOUSAND YEARS HARRY! ONE THOUSAND! TRY STAYING WITH THE DURSLEYS FOR THAT LONG! SEE WHAT YOU THINK THEN!"

Harry jerked back. "Hey I didn't-"

Alex placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't push it Harry. He really must not want to think about it again, much like your experiences with Voldemort."

Tersan looked at Alex gratefully. "Sorry about that Harry. I just don't like to think about that place. It literally drove me mad!"

"I understand," said Harry. "Just a question."

"Yes Harry?"

"That locator spell you did," said Harry. "Why did it only find part of Calsor in Alex, and not the other part in me?"

Tersan gave him a funny look. "The locator spell searches for his essence, not his powers. If I chose to search for _that_, I would have locked onto all the healers on this planet."

"Why?"

"Why? Harry, Calsor's power is based mainly in healing and so are the healers, therefore the spell would have locked onto every magical entity that had the skill of healing."

"So it's not that useful?" asked Harry.

Tersan shook his head. "Unfortunately not. Its tracing ability has to be very precisely set, or it would not work at all. I was fortunate that Calsor's essence stood out slightly from the rest of my avatar. That enabled me to find him, but no others. The rest are just too similar." He sighed. "Power has its limitations Harry."

Harry understood.

"Now then, av-, sorry, Calsor, are you in full control of yourself and your powers?" asked Tersan.

"I am," said Calsor.

Harry sighed. "What now?"

"I believe that is rather obvious," Mark said from behind him. "We will begin searching for the other avatars. You know Cal, you're really not much of any use in this kind of stuff."

"Are you calling me useless?" Calsor asked indignantly.

"Perhaps."

Harry burst out laughing. "You sound just like Ron and Hermione."

Both avatars gave him insulted looks. Tersan laughed. "Which one is the female?"

Everyone roared with laughter.

"So what's your specialty?" Harry asked Calsor after the laughter died down.

"Creating, restoring, and renewing life," answered Calsor. "But no, I cannot help you with life's social problems."

"Can you give me more details on your powers? Tersan didn't say much."

Calsor glowed a soft yellow before answering. "I have the capability to create life from nothing." He held out his hand and a white rose grew from the center of his palm. Alex gasped in astonishment and took the flower to examine it closely.

"It's real Alex," said Calsor. Turning to Harry, he continued. "I can restore life, such as bring the dead back to life. As for renewing, it includes healing and permanent rejuvenation."

"Permanent rejuvenation?" asked Harry.

"Immortality!" Tersan said dramatically. "The permanent sustenance of life! Eternal youth! The dream of nearly all beings on this earth!"

Harry stared at him. "Okay…"

Mark laughed. "He's always like that to startle people. Don't mind him, he does that on certain subjects."

Harry grinned. "I'll keep that in mind." A particular memory surfaced.

_Sirius, falling into the veil after being stunned by Bellatrix, eyes wide in shock. Harry screaming for Sirius, waiting for him to fall through the other side of the archway. _

_Sirius didn't appear. Bellatrix continued to laugh as Lupin pulled him away from the archway._

"Harry? Are you alright?" Calsor's voice brought him back to the present. "I sensed turmoil. Is there something you would like to share?"

Harry suddenly felt a wave of anger for Calsor's words sounded so much like Dumbledore. Quickly, he squashed his anger and reminded himself that Calsor was NOTHING like Dumbledore. "No, it's alright. I just…"

"You're thinking about your godfather, aren't you Harry?" Tersan asked softly.

Blinking back tears, Harry said, "Yeah. I wished that he hadn't died. Ever since that night at the Department of Mysteries."

Calsor stared at him in confusion. "What do you mean, died?"

"He died when he fell through the veil," Harry said uncertainly. "At least that's what Dumbledore tells me."

Tersan suddenly looked alert. "What veil?"

"A black, tattered veil that hangs in a crumbling archway," Mark said quietly. "Is that right, Harry?"

"It's right," said Harry. "Why do you ask?"

"It's called the Veil of the only Pathway." Calsor looked slightly sick. "It leads to a world under ours."

"What is that world?' Harry asked quickly. "Can Sirius be alive in there?"

"That particular world is inhabited by the dead," Tersan said as he stood up and walked toward the portrait hole. "If your godfather was send there while he was alive, he will most likely be alive, provided he hasn't committed suicide."

"How can you say that?" Harry shouted angrily, rushing over to face Tersan directly.

Tersan focused his reflective silver eyes directly into Harry's emerald green ones. "I say that because that world drives every living mortal mad. From what I have seen in your mind, Sirius appears to be a strong-minded person. Therefore I believe that your godfather may very well be alive."

Harry felt hope surge through him. "Can you get him out of there?"

"I can," said Tersan, his silver eyes widening. "However, only Calsor and Sheradar, Avatar of the Dark, can enter and leave the veil with your godfather. That is why you will assist me in locating Sheradar."

"I'll do anything," Harry stated with determination. "Just tell me what to do."

Inwardly, Tersan smiled. "You will have to break a whole lot of school rules and Ministry laws to do that. Do you accept?"

"To hell with them," Harry said angrily. "They have only caused me trouble. I accept."

Tersan nodded solemnly, then his eyes lit up. "Alexander, I just realized. I don't have an avatar for the natural elements."

"So you're going to create another avatar? What does that make? Five?" Alex asked incredulously.

Snorting with laughter, Calsor walked over and whispered in Alex's ear, "No my boy, he means to make you into one of his avatars if you wish."

Alex's eyes widened. "You're serious?"

Tersan nodded and smiled. "I'm very serious. And don't worry. You won't look like me. You'll just be your normal self, to be summoned to my side when I need you."

"Amazing," Alex breathed. "When can we start?"

"Tomorrow, if that is acceptable."

Alex accepted eagerly.

"Now then Harry," said Tersan. "I believe that Calsor has a gift for you."

"A gift? What for?" asked Harry, turning to face Calsor.

"For getting me back together in one piece. Call for your owl Harry," he said. Harry gave him a funny look and called. A burst of white flames appeared in the air in front of him and a pure white phoenix appeared.

"Oh no," Harry muttered with disbelief. "You couldn't have. I don't believe this! Thank you!"

Calsor smiled happily. "Trust me. It's Hedwig."

"H-how?" Harry breathed.

Chuckling, Calsor replied, "I am the Avatar of the Living after all. As I have said, I have the capability to create new life, so I turned your faithful owl into a phoenix. I hope you like it."

Harry was at a loss of words, his eyes full of tears from his joy.


	13. Within the Fortress

A/N: Chapter up.

I thank:

Fox of the Nova: Well, Harry's owl is naturally white, so I chose a white phoenix. The idea of Harry surviving the killing curse actually came from one of my reviewers. As I have said, your reviews actually influence this story. Sadly, I cannot see the Flash birthday e-card that you have sent me. I have a security program on my computer that disables all Flash programs because I hated those that had to do with advertising. Nevertheless, I am grateful for it and will continue to work my finest on this story and try to update as soon as possible.

becky red: You have not said it too many times, it's perfectly fine. I thank you for telling me that I have blended together my ideas and the original story very well. I do my best.

Jessi Brooke: Yes, I did make all this up by myself. Took me a hell of a long time to do so, like four months. Thanks for saying that this story is creative and well written. I am also glad that I was able to impress you, for that is what I am trying to do. By the way, Harry trusted the key because Mark Tersan, Avatar of the Light, was manipulating him from a distance, lowering his guard and raising his trust. Not only that, the key blew away his uncle and also assisted him in the ambush on the platform.

Thanks all!

Warlord Harrsk

Within the Fortress

A lone figure stood on the surface of the moon, watching Earth with penetrating eyes. He looked just like another boy on the earth, a boy with dark hair, reflective silver eyes, but had liquid-like black robes, unlike the other's silver robes. The boy remained unmoving as his sharp gaze continued to flicker from one place on the earth to another, searching.

The boy's eyes suddenly locked onto a point on the earth and he shifted himself into a running position. On the upper portion of his back, shimmers appeared in the form of two lines running down his back. Abruptly, black light flared from the shimmers as four fluidic black wings miles across exploded from the shimmers, shrouding his surrounding areas in complete darkness.

His eyes narrowed as he continued to gaze intently at the single point, his wings beating impatiently. Slowly, dust started to kick up from the ground from the power that was flowing from his wings, blowing outward in a circular pattern.

Although it was impossible in the vacuum of space, the boy hissed with what seemed like desperation.

"_Where are you?"_

( 0 0 0 )

Harry sat down for dinner in the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table. Glancing up at the staff table, he was surprised to see that Dumbledore was not present. He shrugged and turned back to his plate as food appeared on the plates.

"Guess Dumbledore is busy with _Order_ stuff," Harry muttered to himself as he piled food onto his plate. Looking down the table, he was once again surprised to see that Ron and Hermione were not there.

"I don't think you know what _they_ are doing, do you?" a voice murmured from beside him. Harry turned to his right and smiled. "Hey Mark. Where's Tersan?"

Mark shrugged. "Probably taking himself on a tour of the castle, not that he needs it of course."

"Are you getting anything from him?" asked Harry mildly.

Mark tilted his head left and right. "Curiosity, interest, boredom, and not much of anything else."

Harry turned back to his food. "Well, by itself, the castle is actually pretty boring. It's probable because all the students are here right now."

Abruptly, Mark stiffened. Harry noticed and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Well," Mark said weakly. "Tersan just stumbled onto something rather disturbing. It concerns you, but you may not wish to see it."

"Does it have something to do with Dumbledore?" Harry asked with irritation. Mark nodded.

"Alright," Harry said with slight hesitation. He looked around for a moment, then stood up and followed Mark out of the hall, ignoring the curious stares from students and some of the staff. Harry walked to the doors, pulled them open, and found himself in Dumbledore's office.

Alarmed, Harry backed away and ran into something unmovable.

"Don't worry," Tersan said from behind him. "He cannot see us.

Harry turned around and turned red. "Sorry about that."

Tersan's expression didn't change. "No apology is necessary. They should be here any moment."

Harry was about to ask when the door opened. Ron and Hermione strode into the office and sat down in front of Dumbledore, who acknowledged them with a nod.

"Anything new?" Dumbledore asked.

"We don't know much about Mark Tersan, aside from the fact that he is remarkably bright in all of his classes and seems to be capable of much more than he seems," Hermione stated matter-of-factly. "As for this Tersan Anthrias, we cannot find him, or have ever seen him."

Tersan snorted softly. "You can't if I don't want you to see me. Good luck trying though."

"What of Harry?" Dumbledore suddenly asked. Harry leaned in closer, straining his ears, though it was unnecessary considering they were speaking rather loudly.

"Well," Ron answered this time. "We don't see him much now. He always hangs out with that Mark kid every day. I don't know about you, but I don't like that kid too well."

Harry stared at Ron with his mouth open. "Ron! What are you doing?"

"It would appear that your friend is reporting your activities to the headmaster. It seems that this has been going on for quite some time now," a voice said from behind them.

Tersan didn't even bother to turn around. "Calsor, exactly how long?"

Calsor walked over to the headmaster, who was unaware of his presence. He looked straight into his eyes as Dumbledore continued speaking. After a few minutes, Calsor pulled away.

"It would appear that this has been happening since the beginning of your fifth year," said Calsor. "Dumbledore inducted them into the Order that same night that Cedric Diggory was killed to keep track of your activities the following year."

Fury blazed within Harry, causing sparks to fly around his body. "How could they?" Harry growled. Tersan back away slightly. "Calm down Harry. If you explode, you would most likely destroy this office and give away your presence."

"And why would I care?" Harry asked dangerously, power radiating off of him. Dumbledore fell silent as he felt the power coursing through the room. Ron and Hermione looked around curiously as they also felt the energy.

Tersan shrugged. "No reason. I believe that you would now like to speak to them yourself?"

Harry nodded angrily. "Yes."

Tersan picked at his fingers with a look of concentration. "How would you like your entrance?"

Harry stared. "Entrance?"

Tersan looked up at him. "Your entrance into this office. How would you like it?"

Harry though for a moment. "Blowing open the doors feels rather nice."

"One moment," said Tersan. He gave a wave of his hand and Harry found himself outside the office doors.

"Just walk furiously toward the doors and they will explode inward," Tersan's voice said in his head. "The rest is up to you."

Harry put on an expression of cold fury and rushed forward. As Tersan had said, the doors exploded inward, startling the room's occupants.

"Harry!" Hermione sputtered. "What are you doing here?"

Harry threw here a cold gaze. "Walking in on your betrayal, that's what," Harry growled.

"Hey mate," Ron started weakly. Harry rounded on him, effectively shutting him up.

"You!" Harry bellowed. "I thought you were my friend, one of my _closest_ friends. But from what I see now, you were merely a means of controlling me."

He turned to Dumbledore. "Now I understand how you were so capable of _manipulating_ me to do what you wanted. You had my so called friends telling you EXACTLY how to get me to change my mind!"

Dumbledore stood up. "Harry, I did what I had to do to keep you safe. Often times, that requires drastic measures and your associations with Tersan Anthrias is possible very dangerous."

Harry released a roar of fury, causing half the office to shatter. "What you think is good for me is merely thinking. You don't _know_ what is good for me. All you wanted for me was to keep me alive and become dependent on you."

"Harry please," Hermione pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes.

Harry cut her off. "Please for what? You wish for forgiveness? How can I possibly forgive such an action?"

Dumbledore straightened. "Harry, I will do whatever I need to assure your safety. Even if it means using your friends against you." The moment he said that, he regretted them.

The anger had gone from Harry's face, replaced by a look of resignation. "Then I have no friends here anymore. Nor will I ever have one again since you will simply turn them against me. I no longer trust you or consider you to by on my side. Your attempts to manage me and my affairs end now. Any attempts to interfere will be dealt with severely. Good day Headmaster."

As Harry turned around, he added, "By the way, I know about your attempts at spying on Tersan and I. Frankly, what you do about it, I don't really care. But just to inform you, we have located the second avatar and are now searching for the third, and eventually the fourth. Do not attempt to stop me."

Harry turned around and strode out of the office, leaving a horrified headmaster and a pair of shocked sixth years.

( 0 0 0 )

Tersan and his avatars were waiting patiently for him at the base of the gargoyle. For the first time in a whole month, Harry was able to see them carefully. Although each one had near identical features, all had silver eyes, dark hair, and a whole lot of power. What Harry used to tell them apart was by their different colored robes. Tersan wore a glossy silver robe that actually reflected the environment around him. Mark wore a white robe that had wisps of light blowing around it, reflecting his avatar power. Calsor had a dark green robe with a thin mist of bright green particles that flew around the robe.

"Where's Alex?" Harry asked.

Mark gestured down the hall. "He's waiting for us." Harry nodded and followed.

When they met with Alex, Tersan warped them straight to the Gryffindor common room.

"I suggest you get some rest Harry," said Tersan. "We all have a big day tomorrow. Alexander, come with us. It's time to grant you the avatar status."

"Can't I come along?" asked Harry.

Alex looked at Tersan with pleading eyes. "That's not going to work Alexander," said Tersan. "But Harry can come along if he wishes.

"I'll go along."

Tersan nodded. "Off we go then."

( 0 0 0 )

Harry found himself in a small cylindrical room, at least that was what Mark told him. What he actually saw was a massively empty space above him that extended in a barely visible stone cover. The diameter of the room appeared to be nearly seven hundred meters across, causing Harry to protest when Mark stated the room being small.

The chamber itself was made up of white colored bricks that were illuminated by the light emanating from Mark himself, causing him to look like a light bulb, without the glare.

"Where are we?" Harry asked with wonder, looking around the chamber. Tersan looked at him with exasperation.

"Harry, this chamber is merely the transfer point for travel in and out of the fortress. I don't know why you are looking at this place like that, but the walls are entirely blank with no decorations. Not only that, you are fascinated by the size of this chamber when it is one of the smallest in this fortress. If you are wondering about the top of this chamber, it leads to the floor if the Entrance Hall, just before the stairs."

"Don't criticize him Tersan," muttered Mark. "On the surface, no living thing has ever bothered to build a structure of his size."

Harry turned to them. "I can't believe that you built this place in such a short time!"

Before anyone else could answer, figures in dark blue robes filed into the chamber through a large double door that opened in the side of the chamber. They took place in two rows and them gestured for them to enter the door.

Harry looked at the figures suspiciously, trying to peer under their hoods, but they turned away every time.

"Who are these people?" Harry whispered quietly.

"Reception committee," Calsor said loudly. "There's no need to be quiet here."

Mark shook his head and led the way out of the chamber, dimming his light. They exited the short hallway and onto a raised podium. Harry gasped.

As far as he could see, immensely tall ziggurats stood in a perfect circular formation around the entrance tower. The tower may have been taller than all the structures, but it was pathetically narrow compared to the startling long wideness of the ziggurats.

Harry saw that the roof of the fortress was shaped like a dome, with the entrance tower, shaped like a spiral, at the center. The ceiling was so far high glowing a faint blue; Harry almost thought that it was the sky. He turned to Mark. "How is it that the chamber is so large down here, while the tip connecting to Hogwarts is only several meters wide?"

"The shape of the tower is like a cone with a very steep angle, giving it its capability of being large down here and large up there. The reason why it connects to Hogwarts is because the floor up there acts like an elevator, enabling us to move things up or down," Mark explained.

"Bloody hell. I can't see past the damn structures," Alex complained. "Are these things the only building here?"

Tersan laughed. "Not at all. Most of them are concealed from visitors, so you won't see much of anything." He faced the structures and held his hands apart. "We have new additions to this fortress, they are friends and are part of our allegiance."

Light distorted. Thousands of sky-high structures of various shapes appeared, but what stood out the most was a blue-white sphere that stood out from all the other buildings, dwarfing them with its height of two hundred miles. Nothing else appeared to support the sphere, aside from a long bridge that started in mid-air over a mile away from the podium that lead all the way above the structures into its center. Harry looked at the lower structures more carefully and jolted with a start.

Hundreds of thousands of blue robed figures could be seen walking the streets between the structures and the floating bridges that continued to move between buildings to provide access. Cubes of various sizes with beautiful designs on them flew all over the "sky" of the fortress. Harry watched one that landed on the top of a ziggurat, then lifted off, leaving hundreds of people on the top.

"Bloody hell Tersan," Harry muttered with wonder. "I had expected a complex series of corridors and rooms that made up the fortress, not an entire city! Who are all those people anyway?"

Laughing, Tersan replied. "I'm glad that you like it. I know that you are wondering about the formation of the buildings, so I will explain. The ziggurats, as you call them, surround the entrance tower as a form of magical focus. You see, when I need to, I can focus all the power that is here in the fortress into the entrance tower, which is actually the Command Spire. From there, I can beam any type of energy to any part of the world of any purpose, from creation to destruction. As for the people here, they are what's left of a great race. In creating this place, I have given them a new haven to reside in."

"What race?"

"That, I do not know," Tersan said, looking at him sadly. "All I understand is that these people are linked to my past, and I fully intend on finding out what it is." The determination in his voice startled Harry. It gave him the impression that Tersan would go to any lengths to accomplish that.

Harry resumed gazing at the citizens of the fortress. His gaze locked onto a series of structures that looked like huge archways on raised platforms. As he was staring, he noticed a nearby citizen walk up to one. To his utter amazement, lightning erupted from the center of the archway in the form of a spiral. More and more bolts appeared until the appearance of an iris was visible. Harry continued to watch with bewilderment as the lightning iris opened, forming a deep vortex that didn't extend out from the other side of the archway. The citizen walked toward the vortex and was sucked in. Seconds later, the lightning iris closed and faded.

"What are those things?" Harry gasped.

Tersan followed his gaze. "Those are interdimensional gateways. You can go to any other parallel universe in those, or simply any other parts of the world. I'll explain more about it when you need to know."

Harry looked like he was about to protest, but thought better of it.

"I believe it's time to go," said Tersan. Harry and Alex continued to stare, not paying any attention of him.

"PEOPLE!"

Harry and Alex jumped at the sound of Tersan's shout. Rolling his eyes, Tersan raised a hand. With a quiet sliding sound, the bridge that extended from the sphere slid toward them rapidly and connected with the podium. A series of steps appeared in the front of the platform leading down to the bridge. Tersan walked down the steps and onto the bridge, waiting for them to follow. The avatars followed suit shortly, but Harry and Alex were hesitant.

"You're not going to drop off Harry," Calsor said jokingly. "Even if you did, you wouldn't die, not with me around."

Barely reassured, Harry walked carefully down the steps and onto the bridge. Alex took a full minute to gather enough courage to step onto the bridge, much to the amusement of Tersan and his avatars.

"All set?" asked Tersan. "Hang on."

The bridge abruptly retracted rapidly toward the sphere. Alex nearly fell off at the sudden acceleration of the bridge's velocity as they picked up speed. Although they were traveling at a considerable speed of three hundred miles per hour, it still took them over twenty minutes to reach the sphere. Harry didn't even bother to answer Alex's question about the absence of the blowing wind that was supposed to accompany them in such a fast trip. They stepped off the retracted bridge and approached the seemingly flat surface. The sphere was so large that the curvature of the structure was not visible from so close.

Harry turned around to look at the city-fortress and his jaw dropped. In the organized pattern that Tersan had mentioned, Harry realized what he had meant by focusing all of the fortress's energy. Each ziggurat had a small narrow pyramid on their tops and a misty beam of green light could be seen emanating from their tips to the top of the Command Spire. Harry knew that the beams of light had more power than they appeared, for they would pulsate invisibly with gigantic amounts of energy every few seconds.

"Harry?" a voice called from behind him. Harry turned around to find a large circular hole in the side of the humongous globe.

"I'm coming," he said as he followed them into the chamber.

They were on a wide catwalk that extended all the way to the center of the chamber; a considerably long way given the fact that they spherical chamber was over two hundred miles in diameter. The catwalk was not on the bottom of the spherical surface, but in the center of the globe.

"It's a long way down," Tersan said with a smile, gesturing at the edge of the catwalk. Harry looked over and jumped back. The glowing, light blue crystal that made up the smooth surface of the chamber lay over one hundred miles below. "Long way down indeed."

Harry looked at Tersan warily and followed him to the end of the catwalk that held a circular platform four hundred meters in diameter.. He turned around and finally saw the length of the platform that he had to walk.

"Quite a distance eh cousin?" Alex joked from next to him.

Harry smiled at him. Turning to one of the avatars, Harry asked, "Why does everything have to be so big?"

Calsor looked around the humongous chamber. "It's to withstand the amount of power that we use. You see, our power is very powerful when combined, therefore we need such large space, otherwise this place would have been long since been destroyed."

Tersan interrupted. "Are we here to talk or to grant Alexander our gift?"

Calsor didn't say anything as he stepped back and gestured for Alex to step forth.

"To begin this, I require a drop of blood from the source, Tersan Anthrias, and the subject, Alexander Evans. Please stand at the center of the platform." Alex and Tersan both held out their right hands and Calsor tapped both outstretched palms. The blood itself was not visible as white light blazed from the small drops of blood that levitated into the air above their palms.

"Now their blood shall unite to authorize this mortal to be worthy to command the elements of the universe."

The drops merged into one and released a blast of wind that knocked Tersan and Alex back several meters. Wisps of white, blue, red, and brown colors of light started to flow from Tersan's body and into the mass of energy, causing it to blaze with more wind and colors. Tersan raised his right hand again and shouted. "I, Tersan Anthrias, hereby grant Alexander Evans the authority to command the Elements of the Universe. Second, I extend the offer to grant the position of Avatar to Alexander Evans to me."

Alex straightened himself proudly and yelled back. "I, Alexander Evans, do hereby accept the position of Avatar to Tersan Anthrias, THE WEAPON OF ANTLANTIS! "

With his final words shouted, the blood mix exploded. Magic crackled in the air around the platform, swelling out with incredible speed toward the walls of the chamber. Harry was astounded to see that the blast continued to flow from the drop of blood all the way to the boundaries of the chamber and rebounded back with a bone-shaking BOOM!

Calsor had to scream to be heard above the noise. "The bond is completed and Alexander Evans is now the Avatar of the Element!"

The shockwave was concentrated by the contours of the spherical shape into a focal point that slammed into Alex, causing him to scream in pain as the sheer power granted to him was integrated into his own magical core. Harry wanted to run to his side, but was restrained by Mark.

"You can't help him!" yelled Mark. "It's all part of the process!"

Harry could only watch as Alex collapsed to his knees and continued screaming. After what seemed like an eternity, the energy stopped flowing and Alex fell onto the cold crystal floor.

"What now?" Harry whispered urgently to Mark.

"Just watch."

Slowly, while Alex was still gasping on the floor, the shining drop of blood started to lower down, and sank into Alex's back. Abruptly, an incredible surge of power erupted from Alex's fallen form and plowed into Harry, sending him flying back over fifty meters.

"The power…is incredible!" Alex whispered almost inaudibly as he raised himself to his feet. "Never before have I imagined that such magic was possible."

"Please don't do that again," Harry groaned after dragging himself fifty meters back. "How are you feeling Alex?"

Smiling, Alex answered. "Bloody amazing Harry. Wish you could feel this like I can. Watch this."

Alex stood up straight and held out his arms, palms facing outward. Wind started to swirl around the massive chamber, moving so fast that the bridge that connected to platform to the door over a hundred miles away was torn apart, leaving the platform to float on its own magic. A white mist started to form and swirl with the wind, thickening to form dark clouds that crackled dangerously with rumbling thunder. Alex started to laugh, which echoed eerily around the chamber with the thunder rumbling along.

"The power at my command!" Alex screamed. His arms dropped to his sides with his hands clenched into fists. A wave of searing heat exploded forth from the air above him in a flash of white light, forming a ring of blue flames around the edges of the platform. A great _crack_ was heard and the spherical chamber broke in half.

"Oops."

Tersan looked around at the two vertical halves that were slowly floating apart. "Do be more careful next time," he chortled. Tersan brought his hands together and clapped them, bringing the halves together.

"Shall we go up now?" offered Alex. Tersan nodded and warped them back.

( 0 0 0 )

"Less than a second has passed since our five hour trip within the fortress," Tersan had said the moment they warped back into the Gryffindor common room. "So there will be no one screaming for us."

"Time travel?" asked Harry as he strode over to sit in a nearby couch.

Tersan laughed softly. "No. There is a time dilation on the fortress. For every hour here, a millennia passes down there."

Harry stared at him. "So all those hours that you spent down their while we were taking classes or sleeping, thousands of years have passed for you?"

Smiling, Tersan replied, "Oh don't worry. I find ways to preoccupy myself, unlike most humans now days. I know. A few thousand years is quite a long time to you, but for something like me, it's quite a short time."

"_A few thousand?"_

Mark and Calsor chuckled in the background. "A few thousand years to us is like a few days."

"Enough! Enough!" Tersan shouted, amused. "Before you scare them. Now go to sleep!"

Alex snickered behind his hand and ran up the stairs before Harry could hex him.

"Time to spend several more millennia down below?" Tersan asked his avatars. They burst out laughing.


	14. Another Prophecy

A/N: I am very sorry for the blasted delay. I had a writer's block for a period of time, not to mention the testing I had to take the week before.

I thank my reviewers:

Fox of the Nova: Thanks for your review. I am unable to view any kind of flash type programs on my computer due to the security program that I have installed. Oh yeah, THANKS FOR SENDING ME AN E-CARD! I really appreciate it. Wait, did I mention that already? Oh well. Thanks anyway!

Jasophelythian: Due to the times that Tersan and some of his avatars have mentioned with certain events, one would assume that Atlantis existed no more than five to ten thousand years ago. Now thanks to additional information from another author, I now can set a more precise time with all the suggestions that are given to me. Thanks for your review!

Takethistoyourgrave: Thanks for your review, it makes me feel good!

David305: I believe that I have explained the concerns that you have brought up in that email that I sent you. If you have not received it or read it, inform me and I will give you a further explanation.

Kellyclarksonfan: Well, there isn't much action, if any in this chapter. However, it sets a basis for the future events that are about to happen. And yes, I was addressing Fox of the Nova about my birthday, and I thank you (for the lack of a better word), for the happy birthday that you wish me! Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea who Kelly Clarkson is. Hope you don't hold it against me! EEP!

Musicalmonk17: Thanks for considering it to be cool. As for borrowing my brain for a day, it's not going to help you at all since my brain is still me. As for Harry becoming an avatar, that would just be giving it away, wouldn't it? You can try though, to guess what he will be made into. The suggestions you made have already been taken. Sheradar, Avatar of the Dark, has Mind as one of his powers. Calsor, Avatar of the Living, controls emotions, therefore the Heart. As for soul, it obviously falls into the same category as Calsor. Blah, I've got to get more in depth about the avatars' capabilities. Well anyway, thanks!

JBoyd1829: I thank you very much for considering my story to stand out from the rest, though it was not my intention. Your compliment is greatly appreciated and it goes for all my reviewers. I will do my best to maintain my current status and story excellence. Did that make sense?

Biernert: Thanks for your review!

Damn. I think that I have gotten carried away responding to my beloved reviewers. Okay, enough with the fancy words. I thank everyone for their review and generous contributions to this story. Know this, any suggestions that you make just might influence this story greatly one way or another. Therefore all ideas are welcome.

Another Prophecy

The citizens of the fortress have noticed something unusual, something they have never seen before. Their governor was standing on the Command Spire's observation podium, watching the city. His mere presence was not the concern, but the duration of it.

Fortress Governor Tersan Anthrias has been standing there for over six thousand years. Ever since he returned to create another avatar, left, and returned again, Tersan had stood there, unmoving. His avatars were nowhere to be seen, only occasionally to expand the fortress for new citizens or other errands that the governor sent them on. Hundreds of generations have passed, and Tersan remained where he was.

On the seventh millennia, Tersan released a magically amplified roar of frustration that shook the very foundations of the earth and caused fractures to appear all over the Command Spire and thousands of surrounding buildings. The citizens cowered in terror, in fear of their governor's wrath. However, Tersan's eyes softened, and with a sympathetic gaze he repaired the damage and entered the Command Spire, not to be seen for another ten thousand years.

( 0 0 0 )

Tersan warped into the Chamber of Secrets and found himself face to face with a gigantic dead basilisk. He rolled his eyes and summoned Calsor.

"What do you need?" asked Calsor grumpily. "I was trying to restore a wasteland back into a forest. Stupid humans."

Tersan glanced at him, bemused. "Wasteland? Stupid humans? Oh! A garbage dump. Wait, you were trying to turn a non-magical human's garbage dump into a forest?"

"It was? Oops."

Tersan rolled his eyes again. "Anyway, I need you to restore this basilisk that Harry killed back to life. I plan on taking control of it for future uses."

"That's all?" asked Calsor. Tersan nodded. Shrugging lazily, Calsor faced the basilisk and placed his hands together in front of him, as though he was praying. A crackle of vivid green light erupted from his hands into the basilisk. The effect was immediate.

The decaying flesh instantly regenerated as the bolts arced all over the massive reptile. In seconds, the basilisk was fully restored and its yellow bulbous eyes opened.

_Who are you?_ The basilisk hissed. _Where is my master?_

"You master is dead, basilisk," said Tersan matter-of-factly, with a slight smile. "He was killed by your own venom over three years ago."

The basilisk reared up in disbelief. _That is not possible. I would never betray my master._

Tersan's smile vanished. "You so-called master is unworthy of commanding such a great being such as yourself. Why pledge allegiance to him when he treats you like a tool?"

_How dare you speak about him in such a way?_ The basilisk hissed angrily. _I should kill you._

Tersan sighed. "Guess there's only one other way to solve this." Faster than light, he looked directly into the basilisk's eyes and shattered its mind. Just as quickly, he restored its mind with portions of his own.

_Better?_ The restored basilisk muttered.

"Much better," Tersan said happily, clapping his hands together. "Stupid old basilisk wouldn't even bother to think. Stubborn idiot. Anyway, a name for you: Salazar."

The basilisk would have raised an eyebrow if it had one. _Salazar? After my original owner? Alright then. _

"Excellent," Tersan said rapidly. "You can now travel through the school's pipes and tell Harry anything I need to tell him. Right now, I need to take care of something."

Nodding, Salazar turned and slithered into the nearest pipeline. Tersan watched until Salazar's tail disappeared and warped to the Astronomy Tower.

"Why can't I remember?" Tersan muttered angrily, watching the sun slowly rise. "What is blocking me?"

His questions remained unanswered for there were no other people around him. Suddenly, he breathed deeply and let loose a thundering howl of rage. The stone floor cracked deeply, threatening to shatter. Light appeared to gather toward Tersan, then explode upward in a blinding beam of white light that shot off the earth to an unknown destination.

"WHAT IS IT THAT DENYS ME?" Tersan roared. "WHAT HAVE I DONE TO RECEIVE THIS?"

The light around him intensified even further for a split second, then snapped off. Breathing heavily, Tersan glared angrily at the stars. "What is so deadly that you must annihilate from my mind?"

Slowly, he stood up onto the ledge of the tower. Waved his hand absent-mindedly behind himself and repaired the damage. Looking straight ahead of himself, he stepped off.

For the few students that were up early and looking out their window, they received the biggest shock of their lives yet when they saw a body fall down past their window. For the few that were fast enough to open their windows and look out, they saw the unknown person suddenly push off the wall and fly up into the air without a visible broom and out of sight.

Tersan flew through the skies, watching the landscape fly by under him. He was searching for something, but he couldn't remember where it was. Whatever it was, Tersan knew that it was very significant to his lost memories. Quickly, he arrived at the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and dropped to only a few inches above the surface of the water. Traveling at over twice the speed of sound, Tersan generated a V shaped shockwave that kicked up waves many meters in height. Accelerating to even higher speed, Tersan unknowingly passed over an invisible geyser of echo magic and gasped.

FLASH 

A city of white crystal and dark metal walls. Further than the eye could see, a cruel-looking black spire extended from the center of the city far into the sky beyond the highest clouds. Silver colored beams of light were streaming from the unseen peak of the spire to other faintly visible spires at the horizon and other locations beyond.

FLASH 

A grand white hall with rows of seats on the sides facing a wide, carpeted pathway that led to a highly elevated semicircle observation platform. Someone was standing at the center of the semicircle, seemingly very familiar, though Tersan couldn't place it.

FLASH 

Tersan was standing on the edge of a cliff, watching millions of white robed figures marching in formation toward the walls of a formidable looking fortress. Beams, bolts, orbs, of different colors were flung from the mass of spell casters toward the walls of the fortress to no apparent effect. From strategic locations on the fortress wall, flashes of colors could be seen flying toward the army, taking down many of the spellcasters.

They retaliated, but the walls easily deflected their attempts to breach the wall. Tersan took action. Raising a metallic staff, light gathered at the tip until it became blinding. With a muttered command, a thin beam of purple light erupted from the end of the staff into the fortress wall. Unlike the spells that were deflected by the wards, Tersan's attack seared straight through the wall and exploded inside, creating a breach large enough for Tersan's troops to storm in.

CRACK 

Tersan slammed onto the surface of the water and rebounded off painfully. Quickly, he up righted himself and gently placed his feet on the water while flying backwards. Almost like wet glass, trailing ripples kicked up under his feet. Tersan dug his feet in, creating a build up of water behind him half his height. Bending his knees, he pushed off the water into the air.

"Never. Do. That. Again," Tersan groaned painfully. Slowly, he lowered himself and gently placed his feet on the surface of the water. The constant rippling and swaying motion of the water made standing nearly impossible. Irritated, Tersan invoked his powers.

"Stop."

Sluggishly, the water slowed down and eventually stilled until the surface was completely smooth, reflecting the morning sky and Tersan himself.

Tersan took a few careful steps, then proceeded directly to the point where his visions originated. At first, he didn't sense anything.

"Open," Tersan muttered, facing the water directly under his feet. This time, the water responded quickly. In an explosion of water, a whirlpool appeared under him and expanded until it was nearly a kilometer across. It first started wide, then extended down into the gaping darkness below.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry stared at Professor Binns. Whatever he said, Harry wasn't listening. Ever since Tersan had left to attend to an unknown errand, Harry had become stuck in class with the most boring teacher in the entire school aside from Trelawney.

"Why did I ever agree to stay?" Harry muttered under his breath. Taking a glance at his watch, he sighed in impatience. Still half an hour of droning to go before the end of the lessons of the day.

Just when Harry thought that he couldn't take it any longer, the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson. The moment he walked out of the room, he ran into a sad looking Ron and Hermione.

"Harry please, listen to us!" Hermione pleaded before Harry could speak or walk away.

"Why should I?" Harry asked bitterly.

"Because we want to apologize," Ron said quietly.

Hermione looked at Harry with pleading eyes. "Harry please, we're really sorry about, well…"

"Spying on me?" Harry asked sharply. Hermione broke her gaze and looked down at the floor. A crowd was gathering.

"Mate, we both mean it. I mean, we've stopped speaking to Dumbledore," said Ron.

Harry threw him a cold glare. "You think a simple sorry is going to cut it? Well it's not! I trusted you Ron. I thought you were my friend." Ron looked away.

"Well, well. Potty, Weasel, and the Mudblood," came a drawling voice from behind them. "Looks like you have an argument with your friends."

Harry turned around in irritation. "What do you want Malfoy?"

Malfoy sneered. "It just seems that you can't even have a simple conversation with your friends without having to draw a crowd."

"Who said these were my friends?" Harry asked coldly, causing Malfoy to step back. "How can they possibly be my friends if they betrayed me?"

"That's quite enough Harry."

Dumbledore strode down the corridor toward Harry. "You don't need to say all this here."

"And why not?" Harry shot back. "Perhaps you don't want your beloved students to know that you turned my best friends against me by telling them to _spy on me and report every one of my actions to you_?"

Several students gasped. Harry turned to face the crowd of students. "That's true. Dumbledore convinced these two to report whatever I said or did to him."

"Is this true?" Malfoy asked with false shock. "The headmaster himself must protect the Boy-Who-Lived from the Dark Lord himself?"

"Exsilium!" 

There was a violent flash of white light and every student was thrown down the corridor, save Harry, Malfoy, Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore. Three figures were walking rapidly down the hallway with their wands leveled.

"Harry, are you alright?" asked Alex as he took position next to Harry, pointing his wand at Dumbledore.

"Mr. Evans, lower your wand and explain yourself," Dumbledore said sternly.

Alex simply glared at him. "As the avatar of Tersan Anthrias and currently under his orders to keep you and your interference away, I will not comply."

"_No, not you too,"_ Dumbledore whispered in shock.

"As you can see Professor," said Harry. "I have received greater protection from them than I ever had from you. At least _they_ don't keep anything from me or turn my friends against me."

"How would you know that?"

Mark rolled his eyes. "He would know because we are near him everyday to render spying unnecessary."

"W-who are you people?" Malfoy stuttered. Gaining confidence he sneered. "If you do anything, my father will-"

"Your father will what, Malfoy?" Mark snapped, whirling around. "Has your father informed you about the unfortunate fate that Bellatrix Lestrange ran into during that assault on Hogsmeade? How her body was shriveled up without a single ounce of life or moisture in it."

Malfoy paled considerably. Mark gave a cruel smile and twirled his wand. "It was I who used the Living Essence Deprivation Curse on her. It was also me who tossed your father aside like a rag doll."

"YOU-!"

Mark whipped out his wand and pointed it directly between Malfoy's eyes. "I can do the same to you right now. It's just that I was ordered not to eliminate without good reason, so you are free, for now. NOW GET OUT OF HERE!" Malfoy ran.

"As for you," Calsor said to Dumbledore. "Do NOT tell Harry what to do or not to do if it does not concern his education."

"How dare you speak to the headmaster that way?" Hermione shrieked, snapping out of her trance. "He is a great wizard!"

"BE SILENT!" Alex thundered, causing the corridor to shake slightly and dust to rain down from the ceiling. "Dumbledore may be great, but he certainly is blind when it comes to keeping a person happy. You believe that he makes you happy and you are correct. But what you don't know is that Dumbledore will not KEEP you happy. Sooner or later, you will regret ever listening to him. _Exsilium!_"

A flash of white light followed and they were gone down the corridor.

"I guess I'll be leaving now," Harry said casually, looking at Dumbledore expectantly.

"Harry, please."

Shaking his head Harry warped away, much to the shock of the headmaster.

"Surprised Dumbledore?" Mark teased. "Well don't be anymore. Now that Harry uses our way of traveling, there is no way on this earth that you can keep him where he doesn't want to be."

Laughing, the avatars warped away.

( 0 0 0 )

Tersan stared at the bottomless hole beneath him. Normally, he was never nervous about something, but this was something new. Since the whirlpool was a kilometer wide, Tersan had expected to see some land underneath the water.

There was nothing, only pure darkness. Taking a deep breath, Tersan dropped into the swirling vortex.

_Reminds me of Charybdis when I fell in,_ Tersan thought. _I still don't know why I even bothered to join Odysseus in his war. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. _

Abruptly, Tersan felt a small click around him that also sounded within his mind, but disregarded it. After several hours of falling, much to the amusement of Tersan, he landed, or rather crashed onto a dark platform.

"OH COME ON! HOW MANY TIMES AM I GOING TO CRASH?" Tersan roared in frustration from inside the small crater.

Tersan stared dizzily at the speck of light that came from the kilometer wide hole. _"It's a long way down,"_ he chuckled weakly before crawling out of the hole.

The platform that he had impacted in looked like some sort of a stage. Tersan squinted his eyes at the surrounding area, confirming his suspicions. There were seats arranged around the platform in a half circle. They were empty.

_It's almost ancient,_ Tersan thought to himself as he walked up and out of the theater. _Like they've been empty for who-knows-how-long._

Suddenly, the whirlpool closed and his only source of light was cut off. Surprisingly, Tersan noted that despite the depth, there was no water around him or the theater.

Raising his wand, he shouted, _"Solaris Inlustro!"_

Light as bright as the sun exploded from the space above him, exposing a secret that shook Tersan down to his very soul.

Beyond him lay a landscape that was cruelly devastated by some incredibly powerful spell, for a massive hole lay directly in front of him. It wasn't mere miles across. No, it was _thousands_ of miles across and seemingly bottomless.

"What could have possible done this?" Tersan muttered in disbelief. "_I_ don't even know of anything that could have done this."

There were remains of buildings that were once beautiful lay in ruin. Skyscraper high arch bridges lay on their sides in countless fragments. Everywhere Tersan looked, there were signs of severe devastation.

"Strange," Tersan muttered. "No bodies."

Somehow, his curiosity got the better of him and he jumped in. The world around him seemed to explode as torrents of magic surged around him in an upward spiral. Tersan found the power to be very familiar, but just couldn't pinpoint where he had seen it. The power continued to escalate in intensity until it became blinding. Something clicked again.

Abruptly, the light faded, revealing a sight that caused Tersan's breath to catch in his throat.

"_H-home."_

It was a village, a small simple village. Huts made of straw were clustered around a river that was flowing toward a white city in the distance with the sun setting behind it. Men and women could be seen walking from hut to hut, attending to various activities. The children were playing around near a huge, ancient tree. A few of them gave him curious looks, but one boy at about nine years old, froze at the sight of him.

Tersan stared at the boy in shock. It was a younger version of himself! Before Tersan could say anything, a woman's voice called out.

"Tanius, come with me. It's time to go back," the woman called out.

_Tanius?_ Tersan thought. _My name is Tersan._

Tersan faced the woman, but couldn't clearly see her face with the sun directly behind her. The younger Tersan, or Tanius, didn't respond and continued to stare at the older Tersan. Sighing with exasperation, the woman tugged on the boy's arm, who resisted.

"What are you looking at?" asked the woman. She looked in the same direction as Tanius, but Tersan noted that the woman was looking past him.

_It appears she cannot see me,_ Tersan thought. Turning his attention to his younger self, he said, "Go with her Tersan. I'll follow you."

Reluctantly, the boy turned and followed the woman. Tersan took a deep breath to clear the rush of various emotions coursing through him.

"It can't be possible," Tersan muttered. "This _is_ my home, but the time setting?" Shaking his head, Tersan followed. The sun finally disappeared behind the vast city, shrouding the village and surrounding land in a huge shadow. The woman, evidently a relative of Tanius, led them to a small hut near the outskirts of the village.

"Can't see anything here. Got a light anyone?" Tersan complained as they entered the dark hut. Tanius glanced at him and lit a nearby lamp with a spark from his finger, illuminating his tired features and the face of the woman for the first time.

Tersan recoiled in shock. "My mother! Just what is this place?"

No answer, although Tanius gave him a funny look. Tersan rolled his eyes and asked, "You can see me, but your mother cannot. Why?" Tanius shrugged and jumped onto his bed. His mother had given up trying to figure out what he kept looking and seemingly reacting at. Probably an imaginary friend she had thought.

Tersan sat down next to Tanius' bed, his head whirling in confusion. Personally, he understood that whatever realm he was currently in was certainly not real. But anything that connected to his past life was greatly welcomed, for he had no actual memory, only fragments.

Sighing, he leaned back and muttered, "This is going to be a long night."

"Maybe not," Tanius said from above him.

Tersan looked up and into a pair of different colored eyes. One was emerald green and the other metallic bronze. "Strange eyes you got," he noted. "What do you mean it's not going to be a long night?"

Tanius blinked. "I have strange eyes? You have strange eyes. They're silver! As for what I said, we can talk."

"Talk? About what?" Tersan said with disbelief. "How about me being in my own past? As far as I know, I jumped into that bottomless crater!"

"That's really not possible for you to be in your own past," said Tanius. "If you were, memories should be generated right now of your future self talking to you. What's your name anyway? I have a feeling that it's not Tanius."

Tersan shook his head. "It's Tersan."

"Tersan? That's an odd name."

Tersan wasn't listening however. He was staring at an oddly shaped lump of rock on the floor.

"Tersan? Hello?"

"That…wasn't there."

Tanius looked at what Tersan was pointing at. "It's just a rock. Maybe you didn't pay attention to it in the first place."

"I know everything I see and I never forget it. That rock was not there when I entered," insisted Tersan.

"Then how did it get there?"

Tersan shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I simply thought of a random object and this odd rock just appeared."

"Maybe you're in your own mind," Tanius muttered absented mindedly. Tersan suddenly looked alarmed.

Tersan abruptly stood up. "That's it!"

"What's it?" asked Tanius.

"My mind, don't you get it?" Tersan exclaimed excitedly. "This realm, everything in it, is my mind!"

"And?"

Tersan closed his eyes for a moment, apparently in thought. Tanius' jaw dropped as the hut disappeared to reveal the interior of a large castle.

"Um, where are we?" Tanius asked nervously.

"Hogwarts," Tersan informed him. "School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Well, as close as I can get it."

"Why did you bring us here?"

Tersan looked around curiously, causing the environment to change to various parts of the castle before answering. "I wanted to confirm my suspicions that I am within my own mind. Apparently I have, though I am clueless as to _how_ I ended up here."

Confused, Tanius asked, "How did you figure out that you were in your own mind? I mean, I just suggested it, and you simply figured it out from there!"

Tersan gave him an amused glance. "Perhaps I haven't informed you though I don't know the true number, I am well over half a million years old. With all that experience with virtually everything abnormal from that time, it doesn't take very long for me to figure that out."

Tanius' eyes nearly bugged out. _"You're that old? But…"_

Laughing, Tersan muttered, "Well, I'm older than I look. Reason why I don't know my true age is because a huge portion of my memory is missing. In fact, I can't even remember my home clearly, let alone anything else."

Abruptly, Tersan stopped laughing. "My home was…where? Tanius, do you know?"

Raising an eyebrow, Tanius opened his mouth to reply…and closed it. "I-I don't know," he muttered in astonishment and lowered his gaze to the floor.

Tersan sat down on a chair that appeared. "I didn't expect you to. After all, this is my own mind. Come, let us explore my mind for I am curious of the extent of my knowledge."

Tanius looked up. "You're not angry at me?"

"Why should I?" Tersan asked with amusement. He stood back up and offered his hand to Tanius. "Shall we?"

Hesitant at first, Tanius slowly reached forward and grasped the offered hand. What happened next, was beyond his comprehension.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry was dismayed to hear that the avatars would be leaving to search for Sheradar, Avatar of the Dark. Personally, he felt that the absence of the avatars might prompt Dumbledore into further interrogations.

"Are you sure that one of you can't stay?" Harry had asked Mark as they walked toward the lake.

"We can spare no one," Mark had replied. "Tersan had stated that Sheradar's retrieval is of the utmost importance." With that, Mark, Alex, and Calsor warped away.

Now Harry was left half asleep in the North Tower, mulling over what he would do from there. If he wanted to, Harry could use the integrated spell knowledge that the key had given him to blast away anyone who bothered him though he couldn't see the gain.

Professor Trelawney's ethereal voice and the sweltering heat created some kind of white noise that Harry felt he could sleep with. Before his eyes could close entirely, the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson. Still groggy after his near-sleep, Harry was the last to leave the room. Before he did however, the air around him seemed to freeze.

Alarmed, Harry flicked out this wand and glanced around the room, only to find the professor flat on her back with her eyes staring blankly into space.

"Professor!" Harry shouted with concern as he ran to her side. "Are you alright?"

Abruptly, Professor Trelawney's eyes flared with white light, causing Harry to back away. Her body levitated into a standing position and rotated to face Harry. Her mouth opened, and hoarse words came out.

"_AN ANCIENT POWER RETURNS TO OUR WORLD_

_LOCKED AWAY BY THE FOUR FOUNDERS_

_ONLY TO BE RELEASED BY THEIR HEIR_

_KNOWN ONLY AS THE WEAPON OF ATLANTIS _

_IT KNOWS NOT ITS PURPOSE NOR ITS PAST_

_ONCE THE SIX UNITE WITH THE ONE_

_THE WEAPON SHALL RULE AS A GOD AMONG MEN."_

Harry stared at her in shock. Before he could react, Trelawney spoke again.

"_THE POWER OF THE WEAPON EXTENDS BEYOND TIME ITSELF_

_DO NOT ATTEMPT WHAT CANNOT BE DONE."_

With that, Professor Trelawney collapsed backwards and onto one of her fluffy cushions with a muffled thud.


	15. The Alien Entity

A/N: I hate writer's block. I REALLY HATE IT! Terribly sorry for the delay. GAAAAH!

I thank:

**Japanese-Jew**: The error has been corrected. Thanks for telling me!

**Shadowbolt the Demon: **I'm working on writing in more detail.

**Kellyclarksonfan: **I'm in California, but have absolutely no idea what her works are like. Sorry!

**phoenix catcher: **Alex's parents will be introduced in a Dumbledore smashing.

In addition:

**Alcathous, Dark Angel's Blue Fire**

Chapter up!

**The Alien Entity**

It was a sight that no human has ever experienced. It was also not meant for any natural mortal mind to comprehend. What he was seeing was utterly beyond what anything anyone has ever perceived.

It was not distorted. There was absolutely nothing wrong with what he was seeing.

What was so significant about this view? It was looking at the entire surface inside of a ball at the same time. In other words, Tanius was watching a complete spherical three hundred sixty degree view.

Everything he saw contained the front, back, up, and down view of everything that Tersan was zooming through. As much as he wanted to, Tanius was unable to release his hand from Tersan's to stop the swarming visions.

A surge of white light flared into existence abruptly, forcing Tanius to cover his eyes. It lasted for nearly a full minute before everything simply stopped.

"It would appear that a significant portion of my memory of my past has been either erased or altered," Tersan said with visible irritation.

Tanius shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness. "I don't know how you are able to comprehend that, but personally, all I saw was a big blur of events."

Tersan chuckled. "Not used to seeing everything at once? If you were, it would prove to be an excellent tactical advantage."

"You're a strange person, you know," Tanius commented. "One moment, you're complaining about your memories, and the next you are telling me about the advantages of seeing everything."

Tersan raised an eyebrow. "So what if I am strange? Does that matter?"

"No, but…"

"Then it is irrelevant," Tersan interrupted. "If you have nothing else to say, I would like to undo whatever has been done to my mind."

He turned around and the images started once again with the addition of a grid glowing lines encompassing every surface exposed in the images.

"This had better work," Tersan muttered. "If not, I'm going to have to break my own mind apart and re-sequence all the memories."

With the grid warping rapidly as the scenery changed, Tanius watched in fascination as a multitude of colors flared from the grid as memories were repaired or restored.

( 0 0 0 )

The fallen figure of the Divinations professor released a groan as she slowly slid off the cushion and onto the floor. Harry quickly rushed over to her side.

"Professor," Harry called softly. "Are you alright?"

Trelawney sat up, her glasses lopsided, causing one eye to be magnified more than the other.

"Pardon me, Mr. Potter. It appears that I have dozed off," she said woozily. She straightened her glasses and noticed that she was sitting on the floor. "Now how did I get down here?"

Harry quickly hid his surprise. "I think you fell off that cushion when you fell asleep Professor," he said quickly.

"I did? I thought I was standing up," she commented with confusion using her ethereal voice, to which sounded quite amusing. Harry had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing. Unaware, Professor Trelawney slowly stood up with assistance from Harry and walked unsteadily to her desk. "You may go Mister Potter."

Harry nearly tripped over his own feet in his rush to leave the room, only to fall halfway down the ladder that led down from the North Tower. It was a long way down, but somehow Harry landed without any injuries aside from the wind being knocked out of him.

"Interesting…" Harry murmured softly when he stood up and brushed himself off. Glancing at the distance of the ladder from where he had lost his grip to the portion of the ground where he landed, Harry shuddered when he thought what would have happened if whatever supported him was not there.

Shaking himself from the shock of the prophecy, Harry walked quickly down the corridor and toward the Defense Against Dark Arts class for the first time where Remus Lupin was teaching. In record time, Harry arrived at the classroom and sat down a split second before the bell rang, signaling the start of the class. He noticed that Hermione and Ron were also there and sat near the back away from them.

"Ah, Harry, you're here," Remus called out from his desk.

Harry grinned. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Remus smiled and nodded. "Now then, we'll be reviewing the Unforgivables this year as required by Professor Dumbledore. Unlike your fourth year, we will be going in depth on the workings of these curses, not just what they do. We'll be starting with the Killing Curse: Avada Kedavra. Does anybody know if it is possible to block this particular spell?"

Not surprisingly, Hermione's hand was the first to rise.

"Ms. Granger?"

"The killing curse was made to kill anything in its path, therefore completely unblockable by any sorts of shielding," she said informatively.

Harry snorted. "It's completely unblockable by most _magical_ methods, but you can conjure an obstacle or summon a nearby object to intercept the curse."

Hermione flinched at his voice, but managed to respond. "There is no possible magical shield that is capable of deflecting an Unforgivable, especially the Killing Curse."

Frowning, Harry said coldly, "Then perhaps you can explain how I magically survived the Killing Curse at the age of one, since you say that there is no magically possible way to deflect the curse." Inwardly though, he smiled, for he knew the true reason how he survived the curse and he didn't plan on telling anyone.

Hermione fell silent. Remus noticed the cold exchange and quickly carried on the lesson.

"A word with you Harry," Remus called from the front of the classroom at the end of the lesson.

"Yes, Professor?"

Reflexively, Remus countered, "I'm not your Pro…wait, I am."

Harry smirked. "Too much of a habit?"

"Too true," Remus laughed. "Anyway, what's going on between you and Hermione?"

Not wanting to reveal the truth, Harry lied, "We had an argument, nothing much."

Remus eyed him suspiciously, but apparently bought the story. "Just one more thing. Dumbledore informed me with your association with-"

Harry threw his hands up in frustration. "Tersan Anthrias! I know! The one who has more power than Dumbledore himself and may possibly turn me dark. Miss anything?"

Remus stared. "Well, not exactly, but rather close. Harry, Dumbledore isn't concerned about you turning dark, but rather you straying down the wrong path."

"And which path is that? There are plenty to choose from."

Sighing, Remus rubbed his temples. "Harry, I'm not going to argue with you. Now, Dumbledore didn't inform me entirely about Tersan Anthrias, and I'm not going to pry. So far, I don't see anything harmful that has been done to you yet, so I'm asking you to be careful, whatever you are doing."

Harry nodded. "I understand Professor."

"Thank you Harry. You may go."

( 0 0 0 )

Tersan watched with frustration as his efforts proved fruitless in restoring the missing portions of his vast memory. He remembered fragments of his childhood, but something continued to stand out as an error.

It was Tanius. His current status in his known memory was inconsistent with his true memories. Tanius shouldn't exist in that current timeframe. From what he knew, Tanius was supposed to be living in the white city behind the village at his current age. He should NOT be living in a village. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

"There is something rather strange about this," Tersan murmured aloud. He turned to Tanius, who backed away slightly. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Of course not," Tanius said quickly. "I only know as much as you do."

Tersan narrowed his eyes. "You answer too soon. I believe that you _do_ know something."

A mask of innocence appeared on the young boy's face. "What are you talking about?" he asked frantically. "I have nothing to do with whatever is troubling you."

Abruptly, Tersan lunged forward and seized Tanius' shirt, lifting him up into the air. Before Tanius even had time to cry out in surprise, Tersan locked onto his eyes and launched a short but powerful mental probe.

Tanius screamed in pain as Tersan mercilessly scanned his mind intensely. After a few seconds, Tersan dropped the boy.

"I knew it," Tersan hissed angrily. "Everything is inconsistent. None of this is real, only my presence within my own mind."

"What are you talking about?" Tanius gasped as he painfully raised himself.

"Your presence here is alien. You were never here originally in my mind, even as a memory. Everything that you do here is to deter me from reaching my objective, isn't it?"

The mask of innocence dropped, only to be replaced by anger. "No matter what you do, you cannot get rid of me. The governors implanted me here to keep, _certain_, memories from returning since your mind is capable of restoring any memory."

Tersan advanced dangerously. "Return them to me," he said softly.

"I cannot." Tanius stood his ground, daring the older boy to come closer.

"So be it."

Chains of fire appeared out of the air, wrapping around Tanius and constricted painfully. The environment changed again into a barren landscape. Lightning crackled in the sky as a storm raged above them.

"You will give me what I want to know, or you will be suffering for a very long time," Tersan stated emotionlessly as he circled the writhing figure of Tanius.

"I cannot," Tanius repeated, gasping as the fires from the chains burned him. With a grunt of effort, he broke the chains and launched an attack of his own.

The ground split as fractures appeared along the ground underneath Tersan, releasing scorching hot flames from depths unknown.

"Hell fires?" Tersan asked curiously as he leapt clear of them. "How about something more versatile. They may be powerful, but are actually meant for large or grouped objects. For example." Intense, scattered bursts of light shot from his fingers toward Tanius, catching him off guard.

Staggering under the barrage, Tanius was barely able to put up a shield and return fire. Tersan laughed as he easily dodged the bolts of dark energy that shot toward him.

"Is that all you are capable of?" he laughed. "Even Voldemort knew more curses than you."

Tanius snarled in anger and let loose an entire swarm of silver tendrils that released gusts of poisonous fumes. Startled, Tersan was forced to take flight backwards away from the mist. The silvery tendrils followed relentlessly, seemingly unharmed by anything that Tersan threw at it.

"_Archius!" _Tersan roared, resorting to the deadliest curse that existed in all magical knowledge.

Infinite Dismissal. It was the exact same curse that Mark had used against the Godric Gryffindor avatar.

In all magical history, this curse was completely unknown to all except the darkest of the dark wizards, namely, Salazar Slytherin. Infinite Dismissal caused its target to become banished into the Void, an area far beyond the Heavens and Hells, where they were born. To move anything from the mortal realm to the Void caused the deepest and darkest torment and pain that even the Lord of Evil himself could not achieve, and never will.

Nothing resides in the Void, for anything that entered was immediately lost in its vast, bottomless depths. Everything bold adventure into the Void to discover its secrets by powerful mages, gods, and even demons were utterly in vain for whatever entered, it didn't come out. In all the history concerning the Void, only one entity has ever entered the Void and return. It was not Tersan, but rather, Sheradar, Avatar of the Dark. Upon coming out of the Void, Sheradar had discovered one thing: the Infinite Dismissal curse.

Harnessing an extremely minute amount of the Void itself, a black line consisting of the Void is released from a point and sent to whatever target it is directed at. The moment the curse touches its target; it is beyond all help for it is instantly sent directly into the Void for all eternity. There is no counter curse. There is nothing to counter. The curse does not destroy, but instead, displaces.

Infinite Dismissal is used extremely rarely for it upsets the cosmic balance of the universe. Matter is forced from the natural universe, creating a hole in the fabric of reality. In result, the universe must collapse upon itself to fill up the hole, and the universe shrinks. The reduction in size caused magical vibrations to intensify, resulting in more erratic sequence of events. Often, the events are catastrophic.

The black line lanced toward and struck the silvery tendrils with zero seconds of delay time. The tendrils flashed white and black at the exact time, resulting in a blinding burst of light and disappeared.

"I thought only Sheradar could cast that!" Tanius cried in astonishment.

Tersan smirked. "Well, it appears that I also can." He raised his hand above his head, creating a swirl of multicolored energy.

"My turn."

With a thunderous BOOM, the swirl spiraled from his hand and drove through Tanius' chest. Tanius gasped and fell to his knees. Rapidly, he slowed his breathing and stood back up.

"How did you survive that?" Tersan asked sharply.

"I live in your mind Tersan," Tanius proudly declared. "As long as you have it, I will remain." Raising his hands, he released thousands of curses at incredible speed toward Tersan, all very capable of harm.

Tersan responded with his own curses, but was slowly driven back. Explosions ripped through the air, each one greater than the last as the power of the curses increased dramatically. Lightning crackled threateningly around the duo as the spells reached phenomenal levels so vast the false world around them started to break under the strain.

The illusion finally shattered, unable to contain the sheer power of the duel. Now the pair was standing on a giant metallic dueling platform a thousand miles across, floating in the air as storm clouds raged overhead and volcanoes blew under them in a molten wasteland.

"I know every move that you are about to make, but also the perfect counter for it," Tanius said cruelly. He raised his hands and shot forth bolts of various colors, forcing Tersan to take flight and dodge. Tanius cackled merrily and leapt into the air, leaving a trail of green fire.

"An aerial battle?" Tersan noted with mild interest. "Sounds like fun."

Tanius grinned in return and started launching a volley of spells. Blinding white wings two hundred meters across consisting of energy erupted from Tersan's back, blinding Tanius.

"_Angel status!" _Tanius whispered in shock. "How is it I know not of this?"

Smiling, Tersan responded, "There are some things that are kept only to myself, known by no one else. Not even my avatars."

"But I live in your mind! I know everything!" Tanius roared in disbelief. Tersan simply shrugged and flapped his massive wings, rising higher into the air.

Growling in frustration, Tanius gathered enormous amounts of magic and launched brilliant pillars of light toward the center of the wings.

Tersan was surprisingly maneuverable with the gigantic wings and dodged the pillars of light strafing left and right rapidly in less than a second. Curling his fingers, Tersan sent back jagged bolts of red lightning. The green fire surrounding Tanius flared, launching him away from the lightning. In flight, he placed his hands together, forming a double fist. Releasing a yell of effort, Tanius gathered as much magical energy as he could and hurled a shower of deadly bolts.

"Such a simple spell, but so much power," Tersan murmured softly. Twisting his wings, he went into an upward spiral, deflecting a volley of spells with the rotating wings.

"Well, my turn. _Again._"

He thrust open his wings, and closed them violently. There was an abrupt whooshing sound…and a majestic column of magic slashed through the storm clouds, slamming into Tanius.

He didn't even stand a chance. The half mile wide beam shredded the magical entity effortlessly, continuing on down and destroyed the metal platform. Why Tersan always ended up in metallic areas, he had no idea.

"Was it really that easy?" Tersan mused. What he had just done was the most powerful version of _Aetherius Fulgor_, Thunder of the Heavens. By casting it in angel form, he was able to draw on the full powers of the Heavens. What he could not do however was to enter heaven itself.

It wasn't that easy. Abruptly, everything went dark. The only light was supplied was from Tersan's wings, and not even that brilliant light could penetrate the endless darkness.

"_I told you. I exist as long as your mind remains intact."_

Out of the darkness, fragments of stone flew together, constructing a pair of feet, then the legs, and up the rest of the body to Tanius' smirking face.

"Welcome back," Tersan said sarcastically.

"Thank you," Tanius said with a broad smile. "Now then. I cannot have you knowing about this event; otherwise you will continue to persist in your forbidden past." Raising a hand, he snapped his fingers.

A loud rumble roared through the darkness, but other than that, nothing happened. Tanius looked stunned.

"What's going on?"

Tersan closed his eyes. "As you have said, you will live as long as my mind remains intact. In this instant, I am disrupting your power, and using my own to destroy you."

Tanius scoffed. "Bold words. How can you possibly think of destroying me if it is physically impossible." Tersan simply opened his eyes and looked at him. Slowly, realization dawned on Tanius' face. "No. You wouldn't dare!"

"Of course I would!" Tersan exclaimed in astonishment, as though Tanius had said something outrageous. "Do I need to spell it out for you? This is my mind, and I can do anything I want with it."

"NO! YOU WILL NOT!" Tanius lunged forward, his hands outstretched like claws at Tersan's neck.

Tersan collapsed his mind. The world around them exploded, and faded into nothingness.

( 0 0 0 )

Deep in the Atlantic Ocean, a body lay on the bow of a sunken cruiser, the name _Titanic_ barely visible on the hull. It was dressed in a silver robe, and its expression in one of desperation.

Abruptly, the body jerked, then became still. The ocean floor rumbled dangerously and fissures appeared all around the sunken ship as an unknown power surged through the vicinity. The body flared with light, startling all the surrounding aquatic life and finally disappeared with a watery _CRACK._

The light faded, and everything became still once more.

**A/N: **Just to inform you, I will not be here for the entire summer since I am taking a trip to Taiwan to visit my mother so I may not be updating in the next week or so before I leave. I will try however to continue writing there so I may update this story when I return.

My sincerest apologies,

Warlord Harrsk


	16. A Destination Unknown

**A/N**: Another chapter up. Faster than I thought.

I thank:

**Ivory Core:** Fox of the Nova! Or Ivory Core now. Wonderful to hear from you again! You guessed wrong on the last part. It's not another avatar, but rather Tersan himself, although the avatars are just as strong as he is physically. Bit funny huh? As for the origin for the spells, I just make them up as I go. Thanks!

**YumiAngel: **I will try to circle the story more around Harry now. Thanks!

**Tirionelf:** Thanks for saying that. I appreciate it. Thanks for the review!

**Kurony: **I try to keep my story original. Thanks!

I also thank:

**Japanese-Jew:**

**BlueAdonis:**

**Rkhiara: **

_**A Destination Unknown**_

_**Another Dark Lord?**_

Dianna Crest 

_It would appear that our current Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, now has a rival. The Ministry of Magic is baffled as to the sudden appearance of this mysterious black robed wizard that single-handedly killed over two hundred Death Eaters when they attempted to raid muggle London early this morning. _

_Ministry aurors that were on scene witnessed the slaughter, not battle. From what the aurors say, the figure simply appeared in front of the Death Eaters, held out a hand, and killed them. Not much detail is known about the spell, but sources state that when the figure raised the hand, every Death Eater screamed in agony as glowing lights left their bodies into the upraised hand. When questioned, even the Unspeakables were at a loss when asked about the unknown spell that was used that day. _

"_I have absolutely no idea what sort of spell or curse that was. All I know is that the life forces of the Death Eaters were forcibly taken from their bodies," an Unspeakable had said. Magical Law Enforcement is at a loss at whether to classify this new dark wizard as either on the side of the Light, or with You-Know-Who. _

_Amelia Bones, Head of Magical Law Enforcement, warns citizens to stay away from this wizard at all costs. All attempts at apprehending the suspect, as Madam Bones quotes, failed as the suspect disappeared by some Apparition method and left a note that said: 'All that who oppose my source will die.' _

Harry folded up the newspaper with a frown on his face. Could this possibly be the Avatar of the Dark? He shook his head and turned back to his breakfast. That was a possibility.

The past few days had been rather irritating for Dumbledore had attempted to press some answers out of him again. Once again, Harry had to demonstrate the extent of his own enhanced powers by blasting down the doors to Dumbledore's office and walking away again. He didn't bother him again.

Now with the absence of Tersan and his avatars, it had been rather dull. Ron and Hermione were out of the question as people to talk to. Their betrayal was still fresh in his mind.

The rang of the bell interrupted his thoughts. Groaning softly, Harry pulled himself to his feet and headed toward the greenhouses. Not that he didn't like Herbology, but it was because of the key that allowed him to absorb information at a much faster rate, Harry had taken the time to read many books in the school library. Most of them consisted of Dark Arts, but many others were relevant to potions, magical creatures, and yes, Herbology.

The Restricted Section was of no problem to him anymore. With a simple request Remus about his need to train against Voldemort was just enough to grant him full access to those books. From then on, Harry continued to study and practice the new spells that he learned from the books. How did he practice? The Room of Requirements.

"…careful about what you are doing," Professor Sprout was saying. "Make sure that your dragonhide gloves are on when you touch them. We don't want any accidents now do we?"

Harry sighed inwardly. They were working on some round, prickly plant whose name he couldn't pronounce, _ninthio_­-something. Whatever its name was, Harry was quite familiar with its effect as it was described in one of his Herbology books. A single prick of its spines was enough to knock you out from at least two days. In addition, you would be plagued with flu-like symptoms from an additional week.

Glancing around carefully to make sure no one was looking, Harry pointed his wand at the plant and whispered a spell. The round plant quivered from a moment, then released a sigh. Harry suppressed a snicker. It sounded like a girl admiring Lockhart.

"Ah, Mister Potter!" Harry jerked out of his thoughts and faced the professor. "Done already?"

Harry nodded. "It's not that hard," he said. "All you had to do was to sprinkle some water on it and blow."

Professor Sprout raised her eyebrows. "I've never seen such a technique before. But wonderfully done anyway. Ten points to Gryffindor!"

After the lesson, Harry exited the greenhouse…and ran right into the Minister of Magic. Fifty Aurors backed him up.

"Mister Potter!" Fudge said jovially. "You are hereby under arrest for the murder of fifty-seven wizards, as well as casting well known and illegal Dark curses on them prior to their deaths on Platform 9 and ¾."

"You are arresting me?" Harry asked angrily. "For saving all those students on the Platform?"

Fudge seemed to swell. "You may have saved them, but you were most certainly not authorized to kill, not including the spells that you cast. Arrest him!"

As the aurors stepped forward, students that heard the conversation between Harry and the Minister stepped into the way of the aurors and raised their wands.

"We're not letting you take Harry away!" shouted a third year Ravenclaw, her face contorted in fury. "He risked his life to protect us from the Death Eaters! Unlike you!"

Fudge turned angrily toward the girl. "He was not authorized to kill! Potter has broken the law!"

"What law?" a seventh year of an unknown house demanded. "We were in a life threatening situation for Merlin's sake! Where the bloody hell were you?"

"I was…" Fudge sputtered. "I'm not wasting anymore of my time. Aurors, arrest him!"

One of the aurors did something with his wand, and the crowd of students was thrown aside.

"_STUPEFY!"_

Twenty stunners converged on Harry. _Dammit!_ Thought Harry. _I can't fight them with students around me!_ Suddenly, a memory flooded back to him. He had totally forgotten about the most powerful tool that he held. _Key, I need your help again. _

The stunners seemed to slow to a snail's pace. _What do you need?_ The key asked.

_I need you to help me divert these aurors away from the students. I don't want them to be harmed. _Harry thought furiously. _Don't kill any of the aurors though._

_As you wish._

Once again, the key took over his combative mind. Half entranced with the key's guidance, Harry raised his wand and bellowed, _"Distorqueo!"_

Space itself in front of Harry warped. The stunners flew toward him…and flew straight back at their casters. Taken by surprise, they were taken down, only to be revived by the other aurors.

"I told you he was dangerous!" Fudge ranted, jumping up and down. "Use all necessary force to take him down! Just don't kill him."

Gathering his magic, Harry crouched, then leapt up high into the air and somersaulted over the greenhouses and landed near the edge of the lake. Unable to Apparate, the aurors were forced to follow him on foot, which took nearly a full minute. Fudge was nowhere to be seen.

"Harry!" one of the aurors shouted. It was Kingsley. "Surrender peacefully and we can sort this out properly. Come on. Don't make this hard on us"

In his half entranced state, Harry didn't answer as he bounced on the balls of his feet, swaying lightly side to side. One of the aurors boldly leapt forward and sent off a full body bind, only to have it sent back at him at enhanced speed.

"Harry, please – whoa!" Harry ran sideways at inhumane speed, magically leaving a phantom trail for effect. As he moved, Harry threw irreversible stunners into the bunch of aurors reducing a third of their numbers.

"Leave," Harry called out, startling the aurors. His voice sounded multi-toned. "I don't want to fight you."

"Sorry," one of them called back. "We have orders."

"So be it," Harry murmured to himself, although loud enough for them to hear.

Soon, curses started to fly.

( 0 0 0 )

Darkness swirled. Lunar dust blew in a spiral pattern as power continued to gather.

"Dammit Tersan! You drop off the face of the Earth for a thousand years, reappear, then disappear again!" The boy smiled grimly to himself. "Even as the Avatar of the Dark, it still proves difficult in locating you."

Sheradar scanned the surface of the planet once more. "What's this? A wave of death is passing over the land. Probably another Dark Lord, but it seems a little too fast for any Dark Lord." Opening his wings, Sheradar enlarged them forming a black dome that covered about half a mile high and twenty-mile wide area. With a single thought, the space filled with breathable air.

"Got to have something to do to pass the time," he muttered to himself. "It's not like anybody is going to pop up here anytime soon…"

( 0 0 0 )

Harry was having difficulty sticking only to disabling the aurors instead of killing them. Though that would have been so much easier, it would have seriously damaged his image. Unknown to him, half the school had assembled to watch, and were leveling their wands at the aurors…

"_Exsilium!" _Harry shouted. The advanced banishing charm threw back fourteen aurors, taking them out of the fight. Harry raised an eyebrow; it was the same spell that the avatars had used to banish the students down the hall.

"_STUPEFY!" _roared over four hundred voices. Harry launched himself out of the direction of over half a thousand stunning spells. Caught off guard, the aurors were stunned.

"Who-?" Harry looked around wildly, and his searching gaze fell upon the crowd of gathered students. "What are you doing?"

"You risked your life to protect us from the Death Eaters on the Hogwarts Express platform in the beginning of the year. We could not allow the Ministry to arrest you for simply defending us," a familiar voice spoke from the crowd of students. Hermione Granger.

Suddenly, the key's control retracted. Startled, Harry gasped, "Hermione, what are you doing here?"

"I hoped that by now, you would have forgiven us for what we have so wrongfully done to you," she said softly. "Can we be friends again?"

Harry was about to protest, but the key cut him off. '_Her plea and intentions are true. Whatever she crime she has committed, she is truly ashamed.'_

'_What about Ron?'_ Harry asked.

If it were possible, the key would have been quaking with laughter. _'It would appear that he still has not the courage to speak to you in person. However, from what I can see from this girl, your friend Ron is most likely sorry as well. I suggest that you forgive them and accept them back as friends, but that decision is up to you._

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked, her voice filled with concern.

Interrupted from his conversation, Harry felt a twinge of annoyance, but quickly squashed it down. "I'm fine…Hermione." Harry took a deep breath. "Hermione, I do forgive you for what you have done to me. Please, tell Ron the same."

Tears formed in the girl's eyes. "Oh, thank you Harry!" she whispered. Weakly, she held out her hand. "Friends."

Harry hesitated for a moment. "F-friends."

Before he could say anything else, a blue field suddenly cut in front of him, separating him and Hermione. Harry leapt back and breathed in shock.

The entire gathering of students was covered in a shimmering blue shield.

"I'm sorry Harry," a voice whispered in his ear. Harry whirled around, but the source of the speech was nowhere to be seen. The voice itself however, was too familiar to him. Dumbledore!

In a flash of blue light, seventy Hit wizards porkeyed onto the grassy field. There was no way Harry can fight them all without killing one or two.

Closing his eyes, Harry wanted to be away from Hogwarts, to be anywhere aside from there. Gathering his magic, Harry warped away to a destination unknown…


	17. The Light and The Dark

**A/N: **Wow. It's been a very long time since my last update. I'm not sure, but I think that my writing skills have diminished somewhat. My most sincere apologies to all of my readers. Have you any idea how many replies I have to my question of changing this story? Twenty-eight.

That's a whole lot for a first time fanfic. AND THANK YOU! This story will remain unchanged until the day I choose to write another.

Also, just to inform you, I cannot write about romance, not because I won't, but I have no idea how to do so. I'm all about action, combat action. Not much more.

Remember, I'm open to suggestions, so give me advice whenever you feel that this story can use a little adjustment here and there. I will see what you are trying to say and will most likely incorporate them into the story.

Enough talk. Here's the chapter.

The Light and the Dark

"Where is he?" Fudge shouted furiously. "Where is Potter?"

"I don't know sir," Shacklebolt replied. "He simply disappeared when the hit wizards showed up."

"I don't care when he left!" Fudge spat. "I want him found and contained!"

Kingsley nodded and turned away toward the castle.

"Why don't you look for him yourself?" he muttered under his breath. "Since you're so obsessed with him, why don't you just send him a fan letter?"

( 0 0 0 )

Hermione walked absentmindedly through the library, wondering just like everyone else where the blue shield came from, but especially where Harry Potter had disappeared. Even she, the smartest student in Hogwarts, was at a complete loss at how Harry had vanished without using apparition or a portkey.

"Hey, Hermione."

Colin Creevey approached carefully toward Hermione.

"Yes Colin?" Hermione asked tiredly, turning around to face him.

He held out a cloth wrapped object. "I found this in the common room. It just appeared there."

Raising an eyebrow, Hermione took the object.

"What do you mean, it just appeared?" she asked, unwrapping it. It was a pure black book, bound simply in silver. "What's this?"

"I-I don't know," Colin answered, staring at the book. "I tried opening it, but it wouldn't open. No one else in the room could, and seeing that you are the smartest witch in this school, I thought that you of all people would be able to open it."

A slight smile of reluctant pride spread over Hermione's face.

"Well," she said slowly. "I guess I could."

Turning the book over, Hermione slid her fingers under the cover and pried. It didn't open. Pulling out her wand, Hermione raised it at the book and waved it in a few complicated movements, muttering words under her breath.

"Anything?" Colin asked eagerly. Hermione shook her head.

"Whatever spell is on this book," said Hermione. "I can't seem to find it. Frankly, I'm not sure that if it is _even_ a book."

Searing heat surged through the book, causing Hermione to yelp and drop it.

"It burned me!" Hermione hissed painfully. "That book burned me!"

Abruptly, lines of white fire flared into existence on the book, and in flowing script, formed the words:

_Tersan Anthrias_

_Weapon of Atlantis_

"What does that mean?" Colin asked nervously.

Reaching down toward the book, Hermione carefully picked it up. The book was warm now, but still slightly hot. Slipping her finger under the cover again, Hermione was surprised to see that it was open. Flipping to the first page, Hermione glanced at the page.

Suddenly, Hermione gasped deeply and dropped the book.

"_Oh my god!"_

( 0 0 0 )

It was freezing. That was the first thing that Harry noticed when the world materialized around him.

Frost immediately formed on his body, especially his nose and mouth. The moment he took a breath, excruciating pain erupted in his windpipe and lungs. Quickly, Harry exhaled and formed a cloud of frozen moisture.

His air was running out. Breathing was out of the question.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut to prevent them being frozen as well, but just managed to see a terrain of gray pocketed with craters ranging from small to the size of mountains.

_It couldn't be!_ Harry thought furiously to himself as he collapsed in the freezing cold.

"It very well is," a voice said behind him. In his desperation, Harry failed to notice that his thought was answered. Using what was left of his air, Harry gasped, "H-help me."

"_A mortal!"_ the voice exclaimed in astonishment. It sounded strangely familiar. "What are you doing here? Nevertheless, you are dying."

Just as Harry was slipping into darkness, sudden warmth flooded him. He could now breath and move around without trouble. Remembering where he was, Harry stood up, whirled around angrily – and froze.

Standing in front of him was a person's face that he had seen too many times. However, it was not the face that surprised him, but rather the energy that was flowing around him. It was black.

"Y-you're – " Harry stammered. "Are you?"

"Am I what?"

Harry shut his mouth for a moment and collected himself. "Are you Sheredar, Avatar of the Dark?"

Sheredar smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yes I am. How is it that you know of me?"

Harry felt rather intimidated by the gaze. "Tersan's looking for you." Then She radar's words hit him. "Oh! I found you!"

"Tersan! Where is he?" the avatar abruptly shouted. "How do you know him?"

"Umm, well…"

"I don't have time for this!" Sheredar snapped. He locked his eyes onto Harry's – and jerked back painfully. "Mindcraft!"

Harry blinked. He had forgotten about his new mental shielding.

"Yes," he said slowly. "I have Mindcraft. Wait, you just tried to scan my mind didn't you?"

Sheredar glared at him. "Of course I did. Why did you think I recoiled? It's not like you have an intimidating or piercing gaze. Tell me, where did you acquire such a power?"

Harry held up the key. "From this."

To say that Sheredar was shocked was a bit of an understatement. The avatar took one look at the key, yelped, and jumped back with arms wind milling. His mouth hung slightly open and eyes widened in fear. Sheredar's breathing was in short, rapid intervals as though hyperventilating.

"The key of infinity!" Sheredar exclaimed breathlessly. He looked from the key to Harry's face. "Only Tersan carries such an artifact. But for a mere mortal such as yourself to possess it, it means that Tersan considers you an equal and has given you second in command of his power and forces."

Harry took a moment to absorb the information, then did a double take. "So what you're saying is, I have power over whatever Tersan has as the second in command? But why would he give such a position to me?"

Sheredar backed off slightly. "I do not know. I only hope that you can forgive me for my earlier actions."

"Why would I need to forgive you?" Harry said with a soft laugh, until he noticed that the dark avatar was dead serious. "Oh, I see now. Umm, you are forgiven."

The avatar looked relieved. "Thank you."

"Just out of curiosity, does being in his second in command give me power over Tersan's avatars as well?" Harry asked.

"Of course."

"So that's why you asked for forgiveness," Harry noted thoughtfully. "I had thought that you felt guilty for that."

"Hey!" Sheredar cried playfully. "Don't take advantage of that position! We all have feelings you know!"

Harry laughed. "I know very well. By the way, where are we?"

"The Moon."

Harry looked around at the beaten landscape. "So what I thought was true." Then he remembered. "How did you read my thought earlier if I have Mindcraft?"

Snorting, Sheredar answered, "That's because you were openly transmitting your thoughts. You may or may not know it, but Mindcraft enables you to, what was that word, _telepathically_, transmit your thoughts."

_Nice,_ Harry thought.

"It is," Sheredar agreed. "Just try not to send thoughts everywhere. You might reveal more information than what you want out."

Harry blanched. "You mean people can hear my thoughts?"

"Only if you direct it at them," said Sheredar. "Otherwise, people simply get impressions of what you are thinking."

Harry nodded. "So what are you doing on the moon?"

Sheredar gave him an exasperated look. "Harry, what am I?"

"The Avatar of the Dark," Harry answered blankly. Then it hit him. "Dark. Sorry, I forgot."

Suddenly, Sheredar released a mad cackle, his eyes widening madly and launched himself at Harry.

Harry stumbled backwards, trying to get away from the madman. His foot struck a stray rock, causing him to trip. With a feral snarl, Sheredar lunged at him, his hands outstretched like claws. Harry was frozen to his position in fear, watching helplessly as Sheredar flew at him…and landed onto the rocky ground next to him.

To Harry's utter surprise, Sheredar was laughing hysterically, facedown, on the ground.

"You should have seen your face!" Sheredar howled as he rolled over onto his back. "The look of utter terror!"

"Shut up!" Harry shouted playfully as he returned to his feet. To his utter astonishment, Sheredar complied immediately.

"Ahem! Now," Sheredar said sheepishly. "I believe that we should be returning back down to Earth, or as you humans so blandly named it."

For the first time, Harry took notice of his environment, or at least, the sole object that stood out from the rest of the landscape.

"What is that?" said Sheredar, answering Harry's unasked question. "Shadow Fortress."

Standing at a whopping five miles in height, it was clearly impressive. A perfect cube, completely black like smooth obsidian.

"It's not obsidian," Sheredar answered again. "Frankly, I myself am unsure of what it is truly made of. Just something very dark, not evil though. There's not much inside, aside from an infinitely complex array of mazes. What? Don't like the shape? I can change it. Look, an oval, a ball…AAAH! It's rolling toward us! A…stork!"

Harry stared wide-eyed. "What the…?"

"Or how about this?" Sheredar suggested. He gestured grandly to the stork and changed it into…

"No bloody hell!" Harry moaned.

"What? Still don't like it?"

Groaning in frustration, Harry waved him silent.

"Would you let me speak?" he growled.

Laughing, Sheredar nodded. "Certainly Harry, but for me to reply to your unanswered questions is actually much faster and efficient. But if you still prefer to speak using your mouth, that is entirely fine with me."

Harry sighed. "It's not that, but don't you think we should be-"

"Getting back to Tersan?" the avatar finished. "He can wait. It's not like we're in a hurry anyway."

Harry opened his mouth furiously to defend Tersan, but something held him back.

"That's correct," noted Sheredar. "That's our relationship. I'm never there, but always within reach. And yes, I know it's distracting you. I'll change it into a pyramid instead."

With a lazy twitch of his eyebrow, Sheredar changed the "Harry" statue into a five-mile high pyramid. "Don't get technical with me! It's magic."

"What?" Harry asked amusedly. "I was just thinking where the rest of it went."

"Let's get back now," Sheredar said loudly, covering his mock irritation. "You never want to keep Tersan waiting _too_ long."

( 0 0 0 )

Ron was pale, very pale.

"It can't be!" he whispered. "Are you sure that you haven't read it wrong?"

"Ron, I saw it. The book showed me."

"But…" Ron muttered weakly. "Please…it can't be real!"

Hermione reluctantly nodded, thinking back at the book. Before Tersan was sealed into the chamber, he had vowed to kill all of the founders' heirs. After he was sealed away, Rowena Ravenclaw, who was a very powerful Seer, received a vision of not individual heirs, but a sole heir of the founders one thousand years into the future. Although the name of the heir was not known, Rowena did find out that their heir would be born into a dark age where he would be hunted down by a great dark lord.

They came to the conclusion that it was Harry. After all, he had been attacked repeatedly by Voldemort for years now.

"What's going to happen now?" Ron asked quietly.

Shaking slightly, Hermione breathed deeply before answering. "Maybe we can tell Tersan not to, well…"

Abruptly, the room plunged into darkness as the sunlight that was streaming into the room vanished.

"Bloody hell!" Ron shouted, color returning to his face. "What now?"

Hermione pointed out the window. "Take a look."

( 0 0 0 )

Black light emanated from a single point within a storming mass of black fluid that hovered slowly over the Forbidden Forest. As large as the lake, the swirling mass started expanding, slowly encompassing Hogwarts as it formed into a liquid-like dome. From the center of the mass stood two people, one was the source of the light and the other messy black hair and green eyes.

Students were gathering in front of the castle, despite the teachers' orders to return inside. Horror and amazement flooded the crowd as they watched the black fluid cover the school. The source of the black light now hung directly over the castle as the dome now completely enveloped Hogwarts.

Abruptly, the light focused into a single beam directly in front of the castle, and from it, two figures emerged.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed from the crowd of students. Ron was still out of breath from sprinting down from Gryffindor tower.

Harry smiled, oblivious to her expression. "Hermione! Good to see you! Where's Ron?"

In response to his question, Ron emerged from the crowd panting from exhaustion.

"I'm here," he gasped.

"_Incredible,"_ Sheredar muttered. "Two friends who value the orders of their headmaster more than their friendship."

Hermione stared at the avatar, then back at Harry.

"Harry, there's something that we need to tell you!" she exclaimed.

"Absolutely nothing," Sheredar replied for Harry.

"I'm not talking to you!" Hermione snapped at Sheredar.

Harry laughed. "Hermione, Sheredar here has the most unique ability to hear thoughts and read memories. Basically, it's mind reading."

Ron's jaw dropped. _"Mind reading-?"_

Sheredar laughed, and it echoed eerily around the enclosed dome. "Don't worry Ron. Despite what you think, I won't be telling anyone else what you have in your mind except yourself. I know that many master Legimens have said that the mind is not a book."

He glanced at Harry. "However, for me, the mind is so much simpler than a book. It's like a billboard."

"MISS GRANGER, MISTER WEASLEY, BACK AWAY!"

Professor McGonagall's stern voice rang out sharply from the main doors. She strode forward rapidly, regarding Sheredar with extreme caution as she headed toward Hermione and Ron.

"Stay away from him," she repeated. "Another one of Tersan's avatars he may be, but he might also be dangerous."

"I'm only dangerous if you are hostile toward me," Sheredar said lazily. "Other than that, I'm no more dangerous than a mere shadow."

He glanced around. "Speaking of shadows, it's rather dark here. Anybody got a light?"

There was a sudden crack, like a bolt of thunder, and a thick beam of golden light shot from the sky and onto the dome, shattering it.

"Auroran!" Sheredar shouted happily. "You finally show up!"

"Auroran?" Harry asked, turning to Sheredar. "Who's that?"

Sheredar gave Harry an incredulous look. "The Avatar of the Light. What else did you think he was called? Mark? That's his human name, not his true name. And yes, that's his true name."

With a thunderous boom, a bolt of light slammed into the ground and deposited a glowing white figure.

"Sheredar!" Mark, no, Auroran greeted happily. "Where have you been?"

"Somewhere very distant," Sheredar chuckled. Harry suppressed a snicker.

Glancing around, Auroran asked again. "Who found him? I don't see anyone else here."

Hermione thought that the statement didn't make much sense, but came to realize that he was speaking about the other avatars, not the students and teachers who were watching in silence.

Harry nervously raised a hand. "I did."

"Congratulations!"

Green mist gathered next to Harry and quickly formed into the familiar Calsor, Avatar of the Living. Stepping forward, Calsor extended a hand.

"How did you do it?" he asked as he shook Harry's hand.

"Um, well…" Harry started.

"THERE YOU POTTER!" Fudge's arrogant voice shot rudely out of nowhere, interrupting Harry. "Aurors! Arrest him!"

"Let's just say that he was attacked by aurors on the order of the minister," Sheredar muttered with irritation. "Harry knew that if he continued on the battle, he would have to kill just a few of them just to end the fight. In the end, he warped away to a random location." Waving his hand absentmindedly, he transported Fudge and his aurors to the other side of the planet.

Auroran let out a hiss. "That was extremely dangerous. Random warping can place you from nowhere to the other side of the universe, possible the next, not that I've tried it of course."

"What of the minister?" Calsor asked.

"Irrelevant," said Sheredar, his eyes glinting dangerously. "But troublesome. Perhaps a demonstration is required."

Harry looked at Sheredar nervously. "What sort of demonstration?"

"Never mind," Auroran said softly. "Alexander's here."

With a crack of thunder, roar of fire, blast of wind, splash of water, and a rumble of earth that blew everyone over, Alexander appeared.

"Must he be so dramatic?" Auroran muttered. "Then again, I was by far more when I was a 'god.' "

"Yes indeed," Sheredar murmured back. "To both question and statement. By the way, you still have my wand."

Harry turned and looked at Auroran. "You mean that darksteel wand is Sheredar's?"

"Yes, yes," Auroran said nonchalantly, handing over Sheredar his wand.

There was an abrupt tension in the air. An extreme tension.

In unison, Calsor and Alexander both leaped back several meters, dragging along Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"What's going on?" Harry asked as they landed. "Is this the demonstration?"

Scoffing, Calsor shook his head and sighed. "It's never going to end, is it?"

"What is?"

Calsor gestured. "That."

There was a sudden blast of light, then Auroran and Sheredar were facing each other, their wands extended. For the first time, Harry saw the glowing white crystalline wand that Auroran possessed.

"Moonlight," Calsor muttered. "It's the wand's name and composition. Why didn't he choose sunlight instead?"

Harry shrugged and turned to watch the two avatars with fascination.

Sheredar and Auroran were exchanging spells at speeds so fast that it looked like they were firing continuous beams of magic. Suddenly, white and black lightning erupted from the avatars, clashing violently against each other, the sheer power of the magic levitating them into the air.

White light suddenly flared from Auroran, much to the displeasure of Sheredar. Roaring inhumanely, Sheredar launched volley after volley of intense black curses. To Harry's astonishment, Auroran simply stood, or rather, floated there as the curses impacted on an invisible shield that he had effortlessly put in place.

Smiling in amusement, Auroran raised a finger and lazily pointed a finger at the dark avatar. A single bolt of thunder tore through the volley of curses, startling Sheredar. Caught by surprise, Sheredar was struck head on.

"Ouch," Harry whispered. Sheredar's body was illuminated with blinding jolts of electricity as he was driven down through the air into the ground.

"Come on now Sheredar," Auroran called out as he also lowered himself onto the ground. "You can do better than that."

Without warning, black tentacles tore out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Auroran, constricting so hard that his face was contorted with agony.

"Of course I can do better," Sheredar hissed as he appeared in a flash of negative light. The tendrils connected to his back that were constricting Auroran flexed as they contracted even tighter, causing the avatar to cry out in pain. "Can you?"

Auroran's eyes flashed with absolute rage. Silver light flared from his body, tearing apart the tendrils. Howling in anger, Auroran raised his hands…and that was all that Harry saw before he was forced to shield his eyes from the excruciatingly blinding light that resulted.

When he looked up again, Harry gasped. The avatars were back in the air again, and what has happening between them, was plainly beyond words.

Simply placed, it was God fighting God. With roars that shook the earth, light that lit up the sky like a second sun, power that tore apart reality itself, it was a sight that was not seen since the powers of Heaven and Hell collided.

( 0 0 0 )

"Everything has returned."

In a plane that neither existed nor didn't exist, a silver robed figure stood in darkness.

"I remember everything," said the figure. A flickering light caught his attention.

"They're fighting again," he muttered. Turning to the light, the figure's face was revealed to that of a boy's, but the eyes betrayed the countless years of wisdom and power.

The boy glanced at the light again. "They should have settled this a long time ago."

He sighed. "Then again, maybe not."

Straightening his back, Tersan stepped forward in the darkness. "I should return now. I feel that matters have become complicated and requires attention."

The abstract existence around faded away to reveal the starry empty space two hundred thousand light-years above the Milky Way galaxy.

"Why I chose this location, I do not know," Tersan muttered. Locking his eyes onto a particular point of light, he vanished.


	18. Return

Lightning crashed, fires roared, wind howled, earth rumbled, and reality broke.

It was total pandemonium. Auroran and Sheredar attacked each other relentlessly, neither yielding to either's power. Cracks started to form in midair as the sheer power from the battle exceeded what the dimension could hold.

"If this continues on!" Calsor shouted. "This country will be destroyed as a result of their duel!"

"This is a duel!" Hermione screamed back incredulously. "This is total chaos! Can't you do anything to stop them?"

"What do you expect me to do?" Calsor yelled. "I only have power over life! They have power over the forces of Light and Dark!"

"Call your Tersan or something!" Ron suggested, also shouting.

Calsor shook his head. "I can't! We are only called by him."

There was a sudden surge of magic.

"Look out!" Ron shouted.

Auroran had extended his hand and released a blast of blue light that tore from his hand and sped toward Sheredar. Startled, Sheredar flashed out of the way, causing the spell to continue on toward the Great Hall.

With a thunderous impact and earsplitting screech, the structure collapsed. Harry rushed forward, drawing his wand from his robes. Pointing at the wreckage he shouted, _"Redintegro!" _

Normally, Harry would have expected the rubble to simply fly back up to place and fix itself, but this time he was surprised to see that nothing happened.

"You might need more power!" Calsor shouted as the fighting increased in intensity.

Harry nodded furiously and turned back to the wreckage. Raising his wand again, he shouted, _"Ducere! Redintegro!"_

A faint ripple shimmered from his wand for a split second – then a blinding jet of white light erupted forth, energizing the demolished structure with crackling lightning. With grace and precision, the stones levitated from the ground and pieced themselves together with absolute perfection.

"They just might destroy Hogwarts if they can't aim their spells properly!" Harry roared. Aiming his wand expertly at the fighting avatars, Harry yelled, _"Exsilium!" _

The familiar blast of white banishing energy lanced forth toward the avatars…and simply vanished. Harry blinked. _What the…?_

Turning around to ask Calsor a question, there was an abrupt silence.

For some reason, the avatars had suddenly stopped. Glancing up at them, Harry saw a third figure between them and recognized him with a jolt.

"Tersan!" Harry exclaimed.

Staring straight ahead, Tersan hovered between Auroran and Sheredar.

Drawing a breath, he spoke, "Another time."

Lowering their wands dutifully, the avatars warped to the ground and stood at attention.

"Tersan," Harry greeted. "You're back!"

Tersan tilted his head. "Tersan? Yes…that's what he called me, the Potter boy." He regarded Harry with inquisitive silver eyes. "You are he?"

Harry stared at him. "What happened to you? You don't recognize me? But yes, I am Harry."

Tersan's eyes brightened. "Ah yes! Now I remember." He smiled. "I apologize for my forgetfulness. You see I've just recovered all my memory."

Suddenly, lightning filled up the entire sky for a moment, arcing from cloud to cloud.

Tersan smiled. "And so returns my power." Flicking his hand, the field was suddenly void of teachers and students alike.

"Now we can speak without outside interference and observation," Tersan said casually.

Ron gaped at him. "How…?"

"Don't ask," said Alex. "You won't understand. By the way, Tersan?"

Nodding, Tersan extended his hand and grasped Alexander's. Harry couldn't see anything happening between them, but Alex's face filled with relief when they released their hands.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Well," Alex said breathlessly, as though he had just taken a short jog. "I'm officially not an avatar anymore. Didn't like it too much."

"Not an avatar anymore?" Hermione's sharp inquisitive voice rang out. "Is that to further your vow?"

Tersan turned to Hermione, curious. "Just what are you implying?"

Hermione rounded on him. "You're going to kill Harry, aren't you?"

There was a deadly silence.

"What are you talking about?" Tersan asked, his voice dangerously soft. The wind had stilled and it was entirely silent. Even the sun seemed dimmed.

"You made a vow," Hermione pressed on, undeterred. "Before you were sealed into the Chamber of Isolation. You swore to kill the _sole_ heir of Hogwarts. And it's Harry."

"Are you certain?"

Hermione hesitated. "Well…"

"Do not be so hasty in forming conclusions based on unclear information Miss Granger," Tersan said calmly. The tension abated.

"Regardless," he continued. "Even if the true heir _is_ Harry, I do not necessarily have to kill him. After all, they were words of anger, not truth."

"But…" Hermione started again.

"For me to vow to kill someone," said Tersan. "I would have no hesitation in doing so the moment I can. Although I am unsure whether Harry is truly the heir or not, I hereby swear by my existence that I will not harm him in any way, or allow him to come to harm."

A multitude of colored symbols swirled around Tersan for a few minutes before settling down.

"What…was that?" Hermione asked faintly. "It can't be…can it?"

Tersan nodded solemnly. "It is the bind of existence. If I betray my vow, all my power and knowledge will be given to Harry and I shall pass from existence."

"Oh break up the tension!" Sheredar suddenly shouted. "Despite the fact that we have a misunderstanding here, why don't we just all go inside and talk about this like friends?"

"Sher-!" Auroran groaned. "Never mind."

Harry smiled. Strangely, despite their age, the avatars still acted like children.

"I heard that!" Sheredar protested, feigning hurt.

"Aww, you have feelings?" Auroran asked with a falsetto loving brotherly voice.

"_Children!"_ Calsor snapped, finally using the word that was in everyone's mind. "Behave."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exploded with laughter.

( 0 0 0 )

"Only one more still lost," Sheredar muttered. "What's with us these days? When we're off duty, like dust to the wind."

"What do you mean by lost?" Ron asked as they stood on the Astronomy Tower, brought there by Tersan himself.

"He's not lost," said Harry. "Sheredar is simply referring to Drakken's absence."

"Avatar of the Dead," said Sheredar, answering Ron's question before it was asked. "Don't know where he is. Can't seem to summon him."

"It's like he's not here," Calsor suggested. "Although we have the power to traverse time and space, we also have the power to send magic through as well. Attempts at calling him back have proven unsuccessful. Not even Tersan can find him through his avatar control links."

"Is he dead then?" Hermione asked.

"No." Tersan joined the conversation. "If an avatar were to die or pass from existence, two things must happen first before that can take place. First, they must overwhelm the avatar's power, which is virtually impossible since I am the source of their power. Second, I must willingly release my hold on the avatar, enabling them to be freed from this world. Besides, I would know anyway if anything unpleasant happened to an avatar. I am after all, connected to them."

"Sounds…complicated," Ron muttered.

Calsor laughed. "On the contrary, it's actually quite simple. But I don't think that you'll need to know until the day you can conjure living entities."

"So Tersan," said Harry, finally asking the question that he had been wondering. "What have you remembered?"

"Everything," Tersan said softly. An aura of serenity seemed to fall over him. "From the first day of my life to the best day, worse day, and today. There are things that I love, things that I hate, and things that I deeply regret."

"That's not very specific," Ron said bluntly. "I mean, you sound like Dumbledore, talking in riddles."

Auroran snorted. "Riddles. Riddle. Tom Riddle. Any relation?"

Laughter broke out. "No, I don't think so," said Tersan. "If Riddle was a joke, Harry would be leading a happy life indeed."

An instant silence followed his words.

"Don't look at me like that," Tersan countered. "It is fact."

Harry gave a reassuring smile. "It's alright Tersan. With your help, we will take down Voldemort once and for all."

Tersan didn't return his smile. "I hope so Harry. I hope so."

( 0 0 0 )

Dust stirred in the dark rectangular chamber, but there was no wind. The sunken stone pit some twenty feet below a series of amphitheater-like formation stone benches seemed to be the source of this strange windless wind. Within the pit's raised stone dais, there stood the ancient stone archway.

The black veil that hung within it was not still. No. It was not still at all. Despite the absence of any form of visible physical force, the veil whipped wildly like a flag in a hurricane.

An irritated whisper abruptly broke the silence. _"You do not belong here."_

At the end of young sounding voice, a ragged looking figure was suddenly launched from archway with no visible trace of the magic that brought him there. Another gray-cloaked figure followed shortly, this time by walking out of the madly whipping veil. The moment the second figure stepped down from the dais, the invisible wind stopped, and the veil settled down again, looking very worn.

"You do not belong there," the figure repeated. Steel gray eyes narrowed at the gasping ragged looking man lying on the ground.

"Who…who are you?" the man gasped, slowly standing up.

The metallic eyes looked at his face emotionlessly. "I am Drakken, Avatar of the Dead."

The man stared at him. "Look kid, um…"

"What is your name?" asked Drakken, ignoring the man's statement.

Hesitating, the man looked at Drakken for several long seconds. Slowly, he finally answered, "Sirius Black."

( 0 0 0 )

Tersan abruptly stiffened. "He's here," he said calmly, relaxing.

"Who's here?" Hermione turned to face him, pausing her conversation with Ron in the Gryffindor common room.

"That," Calsor also said stiffly. "Would be Drakken."

"The Avatar of Death?"

Calsor chuckled, but it was forced. "Avatar of the Dead," he corrected. "The Avatar of Death would be Thanatos, the embodiment of death."

Hermione noticed Calsor's state and asked, "What's wrong?"

Stepping between them, Sheredar answered, "Opposing powers Hermione. Drakken is death and Calsor is life."

Understanding, Hermione nodded. "I get it. Just like you and…Auroran, right? But do Calsor and Drakken fight?"

There was a snort from behind them. Hermione turned around to see Auroran with an amused expression, leaning on the stone wall.

"Fight?" he asked. "Hermione, if the forces of life and death ever fought, they would cause more devastation than Sheredar and I combined. I mean seriously, if prompted, Drakken can take the lives of all life on the planet effortlessly, and some more."

Hermione swallowed. The avatars were more powerful than she had thought!

"Indeed they are," Sheredar muttered aloud, although everyone knew that he was talking to someone. "Speaking of which, where's Harry?"

"In the library. Said something about a fractal mirror shield," Hermione answered tiredly. "Whatever that is." The talk of avatars, although limited, gave her much more information on their powers than she had ever read on. "Where's Tersan?"

"Wondering where everyone is now, are we?" Sheredar asked, smirking. "Anyway, Tersan is somewhere in the other side of the galaxy. Said something about taking a walk. Don't give me that shocked look, you should know well enough that his power isn't confined to this planet anyway."

Hermione sighed in resignation. She was not going to win the upcoming argument.

"Well, I'm not going to argue with you," she started to say, then stopped at Sheredar's expression. "I know you know. But my question is, why are you looking for Harry?"

"It's about his godfather," Calsor answered. "Drakken came out from the archway in the Department of Mysteries." Following Hermione's sharp in take of breath, he continued, "And as he came out, he brought along Sirius Black."

"I-…i….impossible!" Hermione gasped. "What ever enters the veil dies!"

Sheredar chuckled. "Actually, things do come out of the veil. You just don't see them. Anyway, I'll have to be informing Harry. Good day!"

Flashing with negative light, he vanished.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry was flipping through book after book searching for a certain shielding spell that the key had suggested him to learn. Not that he needed anymore shield charms, Harry still searched through the books out of mere curiosity.

"Nothing," Harry muttered, resting his eyes and hands. "Key, are you sure the spell is in here?"

The key seemed to be chuckling. _'I never said it was in books, mind you. I merely said that you should learn the fractal mirror shield just in case.'_

Groaning in frustration, Harry punched the table. "Then how do I find it?" he asked irritably.

"Find what?" a voice asked from behind him. Harry turned around and saw the Avatar of the Dark.

"Oh it's you," said Harry.

Sheredar smiled at him. "Find what?" he repeated.

Harry scowled. "What? You can't take it directly out of my mind?"

Sheredar snorted. "With your Mindcraft? It would take all my power just to _nick_ that barrier."

"All your…?" Harry stared. "I thought the mind was your specialty."

"It is," Sheredar replied, shrugging his shoulders. "But since Mindcraft was made by Tersan himself, it counteracts my power. So even if I actually tried to force my way in, it will be futile."

"Oh."

Laughing, Sheredar asked for a third time, "Find what, Harry?"

Grumbling about keys with limited grammar, Harry answered, "Fractal Mirror Shield. The Key of Infinity suggested that I learn in, 'just in case,' whatever that means."

"Of course you know what it means!" Sheredar said with mock scolding. Harry laughed. "As for the shield, it would normally fall in Auroran's category, but this particular one is Tersan's specialty so you'll have to ask him. He's not available right now though, he's taking a walk on the other side of the galaxy."

Harry wasn't surprised. "I suppose Earth is too small for him?"

Scoffing, Sheredar shook his head. "It's not the Earth, but rather his emotional state."

"What, is he angry?" asked Harry, his interested prodded.

"Actually," Sheredar said slowly. "He's quite sad about his past." As Harry stared, Sheredar abruptly broke off and said with a sharp tone, "Drakken has returned, and…"

Harry blinked. He remembered Tersan said something about the Avatar of the Dead. But there was something else…

"Sirius is back."

"What!" Harry couldn't believe his ears. Tersan had kept his promise! Happiness and joy exploded in him, nearly exploding into a scream of elation. "He's back!"

Soft laughter rang between them as Auroran suddenly became visible next to Harry.

"He's out of the veil for sure Harry," he chuckled. "Come. Let's go back down to the fortress and meet him."

Harry was only too eager to follow.

( 0 0 0 )

"HARRY!" Sirius's hoarse shout shot through the blurred space just as Harry came out of warp.

"Sirius!" Harry shouted in return. There was a shout in him, pulsating, surging…and finally erupted in a scream. Rushing forward on the crystalline floating platform, Harry leapt into Sirius's arms and sobbed.

"I've missed you so much!" cried Harry. Sirius held him tighter.

"I'm so sorry Harry," Sirius whispered. "I'm sorry that I left you."

Harry shook his head furiously. "No Sirius. Don't apologize. Having you back is all that I want," Harry admonished, his voice thick with emotion. Finally, they stepped apart to take a look at each other.

"Wow," they said in unison. Harry managed a small smile.

"You've grown Harry," said Sirius, eyes still watery.

"It wasn't easy Sirius," Harry said softly. "Thinking that you were dead." Calling on his Mindcraft, Harry brought his emotions under control and searched for the avatar that brought back his godfather. Not seeing the avatar, he decided to call for him through his given authority.

"Drakken," he said calmly, much to Sirius's surprise at Harry's emotional control.

A tear suddenly appeared in midair and out of it stepped Drakken, looking slightly worn.

"Yes, sir?" he said.

"Don't call me sir," Harry said quickly. "Address me by my name."

Drakken inclined his head. "As you wish, Harry."

"I'd like to thank you for –" Harry started.

"I did not bring him back because of you," Drakken stated frankly. "He simply did not belong in the realm of the dead. I took the liberty of correcting the mistake."

Harry raised his eyebrows. Drakken sounded like a blend of Ron and Hermione.

"Even if that is so," Harry said, drawing on the key for speaking strength. "I am still grateful that you brought back my godfather. For that, I am in your debt."

"Those are not your true words, but the key's," said Drakken. "Nevertheless, you are unsure of how to address me, correct?"

Stunned at Drakken's accuracy, Harry could only nod. "Look, I just…"

For the first time since Harry called him, Drakken smiled. "I know what you wish to do: express your gratitude. But I do not wish for it."

"Oh ease up!" Sheredar's playful voice shot out from behind Harry. "Don't get like all the time or you'll seem like a really boring person. Relax!"

Drakken turned hard steel colored eyes toward Sheredar. "I deal in the matters of death Sheredar. There is nothing relaxing about it."

Waving his hands in defeat, Sheredar turned to a mirror that suddenly appeared in midair. "_You_ try to reason with him."

Startled, Harry leaned back and looked into the mirror. With a jolt, he saw that Auroran was looking out of the mirror with a very bored expression.

"Why me?" he asked. Auroran's voice echoed strangely in the 'mirror.'

Sighing in disgust, Sheredar gripped the sides of the mirror tightly. "Because you are more successful in reasoning than _I _am."

The mirror twisted out of his grip and transformed into Auroran. "I wonder why," he muttered under his breath. Sheredar didn't hear him.

"Um, Harry?" Sirius's confused voice broke through Harry's focus on the avatars. "What's going on?"

Frowning, Harry asked, "They haven't told you?"

"Told me what?"

Giving an amused smile to Sirius, Harry turned to Sheredar for help. "Hey, don't mind of you give him a bit of an update?"

"Update?" Sirius asked sharply as Sheredar approached him. "What are you talking about Harry?"

Harry didn't answer, but simply nodded. Sheredar made a gesture at Sirius…and all knowledge that Harry knew of Tersan and his avatars became known to him.

"Oh…" Sirius swayed slightly on the spot, still trying to comprehend all the information that was suddenly placed into his mind. "Ugh…"

Sirius fainted.

"A little too much?" asked Sheredar, catching Sirius as he fell. "Or is he simply weak-minded?"

Harry glared at him. "A little too much," he snarled after a minute of glaring that made Sheredar flinch.

"If your little quarrel is over…" Auroran muttered. "Ah, I can feel Tersan returning from the Andromeda Galaxy. What the heck is he doing there?"

"As expected of him," Drakken spoke up. "Constantly wandering from place to place with no actual destination in mind."

"Are you criticizing him now?" Calsor asked as he warped in next to Drakken.

Drakken turned to Calsor. "Most certainly not. I am merely stating the obvious."

"The way you say that…" Calsor trailed off, glancing at Drakken before taking a seat on a wooden stump that appeared out of nowhere.

Harry stared at the two. There seemed to be no dislikes between the two avatars, despite the fact that they had opposite powers and functions.

"That's because they need each other to function and exist," Sheredar answered his thought. "It's nearly a symbiosis."

"Then why do you two fight?" Harry asked. "Why don't you and Auroran also –"

Drakken coughed. "It's not possible," he interrupted.

Harry turned to him. "Why not?"

"It's like this," said Drakken. "For me, I need life for my purpose and power to function, and Calsor likewise. Light and Dark however, do not require each other to function. With the absence of Light, Dark will reign. With the absence of Dark, Light will shine. Put the two together, they cancel out."

"But what does this have to do with Auroran and Sheredar?"

Auroran cut in. "To put it in simple words, Light and Dark can exist and function by themselves, but when brought together, conflict. Contrary to popular belief, you do not get gray, but instead a violent reaction. You see, before the Light, Darkness ruled the universe. When Light first appeared, it expanded across great distances and illuminated much of Dark's space. Light and Dark were extremely arrogant and powerful, neither giving additional ground over each other, leading to the eternal battle between them."

"You may have heard that 'Wherever the light shines, there can be no darkness.' That is false," Sheredar continued for Auroran. "Look around you. The darkness is so vast that no matter how much light you shine, the dark still remains superior. The only truth to that is when light reflects off of an object, creating the appearance of the absence of dark."

Auroran looked glum. "Only on the surface does the light reflect. Other than that, it's all dark."

An earthshaking voice shook the fortress.

"_Well said, fellow avatars," _commented Tersan, appearing abruptly at the end of the platform.

"Tersan!" Harry shouted. "Where have you been?"

"Other worlds Harry," Tersan murmured. "Now then, I believe that Drakken has returned your godfather to you."

Harry smiled happily. "He did."

Tersan's vacant expression did not change. "Good."

Passing his gaze over his avatars, he called out, "Avatars!'

Faster than light, the four avatars vanished from their positions and reappeared behind Tersan in a near triangular formation. Auroran stood to his right, Calsor to his left, Drakken behind Calsor's left, and Sheredar behind Auroran's right.

"Whoa…" Harry whispered. Tersan looked formidable indeed!

Tersan didn't look at Harry, but gestured his hand, guiding the floating platform to the control spire, which now sat on top of a majestic fortress.

"The fortress layout has changed!" Harry gasped, realizing it for the first time. Sirius was still on the floor. "Why?"

This time, Tersan looked at Harry compassionately. "For supremacy Harry, a state that I never had the chance to achieve. Thanks to you, it is now possible. For everything that has happened in your life, I am deeply sorry. Once I attain my highest level of power, I will make it all up to you."

Harry looked at Tersan suspiciously. "What do you mean that you're sorry?"

Tersan sighed, looking at Harry sincerely. "Harry, I cursed Slytherin's line with eternal darkness when the founders sealed me into the Chamber of Isolation. At the time, I couldn't have known the future to not have done so, and the result of my actions is now upon you."

Understanding came to Harry. "So it was you who caused all this?" Harry accused, his voice rising. "Everything that happened, Cedric, the Sorcerer's Stone, all this was caused by your curse? Have you any idea what I've been through?"

"Of course I know," Tersan replied softly, still guiding the platform. "I saw it all in your mind. Why do you think I gave you all this power and authority? Why did I swear to protect you?"

"Still…" Harry faltered.

"I don't want anything else to happen to you Harry."

Harry's breath caught in his throat. "Why?" he choked.

The platform halted next to a flat walkway extending out form an open archway. Tersan gestured, and they were suddenly onto the walkway.

Heading into the structure, Tersan continued to explain. "Seven hundred thousand years ago, I had a young friend, or actually a servant."

Harry's eyes widened. If what Tersan was suggesting was what he thought he was…

"I came from Atlantis Harry." Tersan abruptly halted. "It was war, and I was a tool." He resumed walking.

"Atlantis…?"

"When I disappeared earlier this week," Tersan explained. "I was in search for my origin, or anything that could spark my memory. For some reason, I found myself in my own mind with a magical entity that was preventing me from remember my full past. I couldn't destroy that thing directly, so I collapsed my mind. Luckily, my magic prevented me from losing my mind and reconstructed it, lost memories included."

They were now going through a beautifully carved hallway that reached hundreds meters wide and much more high.

"When my memories were restored, I was horrified to learn that I was used as destruction machine. It seemed that I murdered billions of lives without hesitation and emotionlessly. What I did I will not tell, but everything that I have ever done was ordered by my superiors and obeyed without question."

"Almost like a machine," Harry whispered. "You didn't have a choice, did you?"

Tersan smiled sadly as they walked through a maze of amazingly beautiful hallways until they entered a shockingly vast cavern. They were standing on what appeared to be a speaking platform since the chamber's floor was nearly a mile down with countless silver colored metal chairs that lined the floor and the walls.

"No choice whatsoever," Tersan said, gazing around the empty chairs. "And in the end, I destroyed Atlantis, just to prove that I can," he ended with a whisper.

"Why?" he asked himself. "Because of that young friend that I had." Staring off at the second level that lowered itself into place with yet more chairs.

"Would you like to know what happened Harry?" Tersan asked, turned to Harry.

Caught off guard, Harry could only nod.

"His name was Kyp. Former prince of a pacifist kingdom famed for its never-ending state of peace. Under the order of Atlantis's twelve governors, I was to conquer that country and send its entire royal family into slavery." He scoffed. "And I did as ordered. I sent every member of the family into the coldest and darkest mines that existed, all except for the youngest son. At the time, I had no idea what human emotion was; the governors had locked it up deep within me."

"It started to surface?" asked Harry.

"It did indeed," Tersan agreed. "I cared for the boy, though I understood not what I was feeling and entered the boy into servitude to serve directly under me. The governors were quite baffled with my decision, but didn't interfere. At twelve years of age, Kyp knew about the legendary cruelty of Atlantis, and serving under me must have seemed like hell, for the first few days at least."

"I knew so little of the consequence of my action," Tersan said quietly. "I granted Kyp the gift of immortality and actually named him the second in command of my forces. Kyp was an excellent tactician, yes, but hated that duty. So after a mere two years, I relieved him of that position and simply kept him as a close servant. I had no idea that his daily presence with me was starting to weaken the emotional barriers that the governors had set up. All I knew was that I was starting to think and make choices that counteracted the governors."

"Ten years later, the barriers broke. I was totally unprepared for the sudden onslaught of grief, pain, and hatred that came flooding out of me unused heart. This event caused me to halt all of my duties, especially the war that was raging directly outside Atlantis's walls. With a great heave, the enemy broke in."

Tersan was starting to look slightly anguished as he continued to recall his past. "The governors were furious at my neglect and stormed into my chambers, demanding to know the reason for it. With a single glance at Kyp's attempt to calm me down, the governors struck him down without warning and…" Tersan started to break down. "And…I lost control. I screamed at the governors, demanding the reason for their actions. Izual, head of the governors, simply told me that what they did was none of my concern, that I must accept whatever they did without saying anything."

"Like that's possible," Harry muttered.

"True words Harry," said Tersan. "All too true. I told the governors no. I told them that I refused to follow anymore of their orders. And guess what? Izual told me that if I chose do disobey my own country, betray my people, I might as well destroy Atlantis."

Harry drew in a deep breath.

"So I did," Tersan continued in that dark tone. "I looked at him straight in the eye and released all of my power."

"Then?" asked Harry.

A crazed look flickered over Tersan's face. "Then in four seconds, Atlantis was gone."


	19. To Attain Supremacy

**A/N: **Well, since there were so many reviews, I'm afraid that I cannot respond to them this time. Anyway, I'm glad that my faithful readers have stayed with me for so long, and I cannot say how grateful I am.

To Blue Werewolf Boy, whose final review on the last chapter inspired me to finish this chapter today, I give a toast.

Well anyway, I thank you all for reading and will accept any ideas that you might have. Know this: the story can change greatly just with the ideas that you give me, for they will be used sooner or later. If you recognize the sign of your idea being used, remember that it was you who gave the idea that affected the story.

Now then, ON WITH THE STORY!

To Attain Supremacy

Harry could stare at Tersan after he had finished. He had no idea that Tersan's life was so complicated.

"Tersan," Harry said cautiously.

The madness faded from Tersan's face. "I'm alright Harry," he reassured. "It's just that I can't get rid of the memories."

"Can't you use Mindcraft?" asked Harry. "Works for me."

Tersan coughed. "Impossible. All my memories cannot be destroyed, only suppressed. Then again, I would still know everything, making my efforts counterproductive."

Harry glanced down into the audience chamber. "So, what is this place anyway?"

Tersan eyed him. "Can't you tell? It's like a lecture hall, but only a whole lot bigger."

"What for?" Harry inquired. "It's not like you have a school here, do you?"

Tersan laughed. "Unfortunately no, though I would like to have some students at least. I have no idea what it's for; it was Calsor's idea."

Something suddenly sparked in his memory. Harry glanced back to Tersan and asked, "Tersan, weren't there people here the last time I was down here?"

"Workers," Tersan said shortly. "Not much more than magical conjurations."

"But you said that they were a long forgotten race."

Smiling, Tersan answered, "They were forgotten because the ability to summon them is lost from this time. I consider them a race because I am able to associate with them, such as carrying on conversations and working out ideas."

"So they were the escorts from the entrance chamber," Harry exclaimed, understanding. "Then those that were around the ziggurats were working on…what?"

Tersan gestured around him. "This. They were working on this fortress."

Harry became confused. "Wait, if they were working on the fortress, how come I didn't seem them?"

Laughter suddenly burst out from Tersan. "The fortress was in pieces!" he laughed. "I had them working on one section of the fortress at a time."

"That explains the ziggurats…" Harry muttered, his face turning red.

"Why are you embarrassed?" Tersan asked, no longer laughing.

"Um," Harry murmured. "Well…"

This time, the avatars also roared with laughter.

"Got you there!" Sheredar shouted. "It's so easy!"

Auroran and Calsor were equally having their share of laughter. Only Drakken remained silent with a solemn expression.

"Anyway," Tersan cut in, trying to steer the conversation toward something more enjoyable. "I suppose we should get you to some rooms around here so you can talk to Sirius all you want."

Harry smiled graciously. "Thanks Tersan."

Tersan's happy expression faltered. "Of course Harry," he returned stiffly.

Harry didn't notice Tersan's mood darken as he was warped into a large living chamber with the still-unconscious Sirius.

'_Why?' _Tersan thought furiously. _'Why does Harry look and act exactly like Kyp?'_

( 0 0 0 )

Harry stared longingly at Sirius, who lay in the chamber's grand bed. It had been only a few months, but it felt like years. Luckily for him, the Mindcraft that he possessed prevented him from losing control of his grief, though he couldn't say the same for Sirius.

A soft moan came from Sirius, signaling his awaking.

"Harry?" Sirius groaned weakly. "Did I just faint?"

Harry smiled. "Yes you did Sirius. Tell me, what did Sheredar give you?"

"Give…Oh! He gave me the events of when you met Tersan until now, from their point of view," Sirius explained. "So tell me, what happened from your point?'

Amused slightly at Sirius's childlike curiosity, Harry started to retell what happened from the first time that he had met Tersan.

( 0 0 0 )

"Did you tell him?" Auroran asked Tersan while sitting on a star. "About your final task?"

A sigh of regret came from Tersan. "No, I haven't."

"Why?"

"I don't know how to tell him."

"You don't know." Auroran stated with a tone of disbelief, nearly inducing a supernova in the star.

"Aside from placing it too bluntly, I can't tell him."

"Then it's best not to." Drakken appeared, speaking in his blank, cold tone. He strode over to a nearby planet and sat on it, causing it to turn black with death.

"He must know!" Calsor countered, appearing next to Drakken and pushed him off the planet. Reaching out with his hand, he restored life to the planet.

This time, Tersan spoke. "Why?"

"Chaos, Tersan. Chaos." Sheredar materialized out of the shadows and sat onto a moon.

"Don't you enjoy that?" Tersan asked sarcastically.

Sheredar looked at Tersan incredulously. "The second in command of your forces gone mad? No, not really."

"Did I give him that position?" Tersan muttered tiredly, dropping down onto a nebula.

"Don't tell me you were that careless again," Calsor said the same tone, now sitting on the planet while Drakken was reduced to sitting on one of the planet's moon.

Tersan snorted. "That was a mistake, you know that."

"Right," Sheredar and Drakken said simultaneously, glancing at each other.

"So you're not going to tell him."

Tersan leaned back onto the nebular cloud. "I must," he finally admitted. "I will not hold things from Harry, unlike Dumbledore, whom I must settle our differences with."

"You're going to kill him?" Sheredar asked lazily, now toying around with a black hole, laughing playfully as it stuck to his hand.

Eyeing Sheredar's childish nature, Tersan felt an echo of pain at Kyp's death. "Perhaps it's best not to," he murmured. "Tell me, should I let Harry experience my life?"

The avatars fell silent. Even the planet's rotation and orbit stopped, along with the moons.

"Is that wise?" asked Drakken, nudging the planet back into motion. The moons respectfully followed.

"It may be necessary," said Auroran, idly stirring the star's gasses. "For him to understand this decision."

Tersan sat up in the nebula. "Consider what he has been through, I believe that he will be able to cope with the extreme brutality of the war." Reaching out with a hand, he plucked the planet out from Calsor and examined it with mild curiosity. "Want to do something with this?"

"Bored?" Calsor asked, retrieving the planet and placed it back under himself again. "Or just feeling creative?"

"What's wrong with you?" Auroran suddenly snapped. "Can't you tell that Tersan is torn between Harry and Kyp?"

Sheredar choked with suppressed mirth. "Are you saying that he's attracted to – " he blurted.

Drakken abruptly whipped around and backhanded Sheredar. "Are you blind?" he hissed. "Tersan can't understand why Harry and Kyp look and act entirely alike."

Sheredar fell silent, rubbing his cheek where Drakken had struck him. For the first time, he looked just like a child who was just slapped by his parent. Frowning, Tersan reached out and gently stroked Sheredar's cheek.

"Tersan – !" Sheredar exclaimed with a whisper. Tersan placed his finger on the avatar's lips, silencing him.

"I consider all of you as my family," he said softly, using his powers to alleviate the pain. "Like brothers. I don't want to see you fighting each other, especially you two," he added, gazing sternly at Auroran.

"Tersan, this is…" Sheredar faltered as Tersan turned his gaze to him.

"Awkward?" asked Tersan, finally drawing back his hand. "Why? You are merely my creations."

There was silence again. Muttering something about stupid matter, Calsor whacked the planet back into movement.

"I'm…sorry," Drakken told Sheredar.

"I'm a being of darkness!" Sheredar exclaimed. "I do not forgive!" However, under Tersan's glare, he finally crumpled. "Alright, I forgive you."

Tersan abruptly stood up, causing the nebula to disperse. "Well, I have reached my conclusion. I will tell Harry."

"I hope this is the right choice," he added as his avatars all warped away.

( 0 0 0 )

Sirius stared at Harry wide-eyed. "That's…quite a story."

"Don't believe me?" said Harry.

"No I do!" Sirius said quickly. "It's just that it seems more dramatic from your angle."

Harry snorted. "Of course it seems more dramatic. I'm watching from an outside angle!"

"Well, of course…" Sirius said sheepishly. "But to the point, how've you been doing Harry?"

Opening his mouth to answer, Harry suddenly paused. How should he explain it?

"I've…" Harry hesitated. "Well, before I met Tersan, I was not good at all."

Sirius nodded for him to continue.

"For the first few months, I nearly considered taking my own life," Harry continued, holding up a hand to keep Sirius from interrupting. "But one day I met Tersan, and my life changed dramatically. As I already told you, Tersan had promised to bring you back, but also gave me powers to fight." Harry took a deep breath. "Now you're back, and Tersan has found all his avatars. What more can I ask for? Sirius, what's wrong?"

Tears had welled up in Sirius's eyes. "Harry, I've missed you so much!"

"Oh." Harry stared at Sirius. "I did too."

Grasping Harry's shoulders, Sirius looked at Harry straight in the eyes.

"Harry, how do you have such a control over your emotions?" he demanded.

"What? Oh!" Harry exclaimed. "I forgot to tell you that the key that Tersan gave me granted me the power of Mindcraft. Ever heard of…Sirius?"

Sirius was sitting straight up, staring at Harry with utter astonishment. "Mindcraft? Harry, are you serious?" he asked softly.

Confused at Sirius's reaction, Harry nodded, only to be further confused.

"Supreme mental power," Sirius whispered in awe. "I can't believe it!"

"Sirius?" Harry repeated.

"Harry," Sirius gasped. "Have you any idea how powerful Mindcraft is?"

Considering how little the key had explained about Mindcraft's capabilities, Harry could only say no.

"Mindcraft enables a person to become a master of minds!" Sirius explained excitedly. "You can literally read minds, change the way people think, modify memories, do virtually anything you want with the mind!"

"Whoa," Harry breathed. "I had no idea. The key never informed me."

"That was because you never asked it."

Harry whirled around, his wand in hand. It was Sheredar,

"What do you need?" asked Harry, lowering away his wand.

"I simply explained the confusion," Sheredar explained. Reaching into a dimensional pocket, Sheredar extracted a scroll. To Harry and Sirius, Sheredar looked like his hand and forearm were disappearing as he reached out.

"Here," said Sheredar, tossing Harry the scroll. "It explains everything that the key if infinity and Mindcraft capable of."

"Thanks," said Harry, opening the scroll. "Sheredar, why did you include the key of…" he said, but the avatar had left.

"What's it say?" Sirius asked, leaning over Harry's shoulder. "I can't read it."

The scroll was written in a strange, flowing script that matched the key's own pattern.

"Sirius," said Harry slowly. "I don't think there's a point in explaining this to you. I don't think you'd understand anyway."

Jerking back, Sirius muttered under his breath, "Bet you can't read it anyway."

Abruptly, Harry read aloud several nearly unintelligible words, causing the light around the chamber to rotate colors several times. Glancing at the chandelier overhead, Harry repeated the words.

Once again, the light changed colors.

"So that's what happens…" Harry muttered.

Sirius stared. "What was that?"

Harry pointed to the scroll. "It says on here that the words should not be read aloud. Out of curiosity, I tried."

"Doesn't seem like there's any harm," Sirius noted.

Harry snorted. "I read the first few words. That was enough to change the chandelier's light, which is supposed to be extremely difficult even for me."

"Oh…" Sirius glanced up to the chandelier and back to Harry's scroll. "How did you learn that language anyway?"

"The key translates any and everything for me," answered Harry, holding up his wrist.

Sirius nodded; Harry had already explained that.

"But why does speaking those words out loud cause things to happen?" Sirius asked.

"They're spells."

"Sorry?" Sirius sputtered. "Spells, Harry?"

"At least that's what the scroll says," said Harry. "Anyway, I'm going to spend my time with this if you don't mind. You can associate with the avatars in the meantime."

Harry hopped into the air and warped onto the bed in a sitting position before he landed. Waving his hand, Harry sent Sirius out of the chamber.

Sirius stared at a blank wall.

"Harry?" he called. There was no apparent response. "Where am I?"

Silence.

"You have got to teach me how to do that," Sirius said in wonder.

"Lost?"

Sirius whirled around in alarm. "What-! Oh, it's you."

Calsor stared at him in amusement. "Yes it's me. Are you lost?"

"More like sent out of our chamber by Harry," snorted Sirius. "How did he do that anyway?"

"Warping. Here, I'll give you the knowledge."

A surge of magic.

"What the?" Sirius said, startled. He abruptly vanished.

Now Calsor stared at a blank wall.

"He's going to get lost alright," he sighed. "Auroran! Warp barrier around the fortress please!"

( 0 0 0 )

Tersan leaned back on a soft cushioned chair on the moon's surface, wondering how he should tell Harry about his desire to attain supremacy.

"Will you understand Harry?" he asked out loud. "Or will you oppose my decision?"

A shiny black object caught his attention for the first time. Turning his head to the side, Tersan snorted with amusement at the object that turned out to be a massive black pyramid.

"Sheredar's work," Tersan muttered, still chuckling. "No doubt about that. He's the only one who can manipulate Void matter. I'm not even sure if he even knows what he's manipulating."

Tersan frowned. "That aside, I suppose I can be frank with him. I don't think he will have a problem with it, right…?"

There was no response from the empty space.

( 0 0 0 )

Complicated. The first thing that came to mind: complicated.

Harry lowered the scroll and groaned in frustration.

"Too many details!" Harry moaned. "How am I supposed to understand all this?"

Abruptly, Tersan materialized in front of him.

"What?" Harry snapped. "Are you also here to overload my head with even more stuff?"

Tersan raised his eyebrows. "Fortunately for you, no. Why do you have a headache anyway?"

Harry held up the scroll in response. Tersan nodded in understanding.

"_Percuro!" _Tersan called out, pointing a finger at Harry. For the second time, Harry was enveloped in a soft blue mist that passed into his body, healing any ailments and provided nutrients to areas that needed them.

"Whoa!" Harry breathed. "I forgot what that felt like."

There had been a rush of coolness, then total comfort followed by a burst of energy.

"Headache gone?" Tersan asked, warping Harry from the bed to a couch he had conjured. Bringing another couch into existence, Tersan sat down facing Harry.

"It's gone," said Harry. Noting their position, Harry asked, "So is there something you wanted to tell me?"

Tersan breathed deeply, then spoke, "Harry, there is something I want to do and I would like to know your opinion on it before I do so."

Harry knew immediately that whatever Tersan was going to tell him would greatly affect his future and the entire world due to Tersan's seriousness.

"Alright," Tersan started slowly. "Harry, have you ever heard of magical supremacy?"

"I've heard about it from Professor Flitwick once," said Harry. "It's supposed to be the ultimate state a wizard can reach, impossible to all wizards with the sole exception of Merlin. Why do you ask?"

"I'm going to reach supremacy," Tersan said simply. "Once I restore my final two avatars, I will attain supremacy."

Harry coughed.

"Just how many avatars do you have?" Harry sputtered. "First you said four, now two more. What's next? Ten?" Suddenly, a memory came to mind.

"Something wrong Harry?" Tersan asked, his brow furrowing. "Hear or see something I don't?"

"No," Harry answered softly. "I just remembered." He looked intently into Tersan's eyes, which was startled by the intensity of Harry's gaze.

"Harry?" Tersan asked cautiously. "What is it?"

Taking several breaths, Harry explained. "Tersan, there was a prophecy after you disappeared. A prophecy about _you._"

Tersan frowned. "Me? I thought I made myself exempted from the tapestry of life. Well anyway, tell me."

"_AN ANCIENT POWER RETURNS TO OUR WORLD_

_LOCKED AWAY BY THE FOUR FOUNDERS_

_ONLY TO BE RELEASED BY THEIR HEIR_

_KNOWN ONLY AS THE WEAPON OF ATLANTIS _

_IT KNOWS NOT ITS PURPOSE NOR ITS PAST_

_ONCE THE SIX UNITE WITH THE ONE_

_THE WEAPON SHALL RULE AS A GOD AMONG MEN."_

Harry paused here. "Tersan, you were sealed from the world by the four founders of Hogwarts, matching you with the description. Additionally, your name means Weapon of Atlantis, confirming the description."

"And I had no idea what I was or where I came from, correct?" asked Tersan.

Harry nodded. "But the part that says about six uniting with the one, I believed that the one was you, and the six were your avatars."

"But the additional two confused you," Tersan pointed out.

"It did," Harry admitted. "Since you told me about your wish to attain magical supremacy, I remembered the prophecy."

Tersan eyed Harry intently. "There's something else, isn't there?"

"Nothing escapes you, do they?" Harry asked with a smirk.

Tersan smiled in return.

Shrugging, Harry gave the rest of the prophecy.

"_THE POWER OF THE WEAPON EXTENDS BEYOND TIME ITSELF_

_DO NOT ATTEMPT WHAT CANNOT BE DONE."_

"I didn't get this portion," said Harry, frowning. "Tersan?"

"Beyond time?" Tersan mused. "Well maybe. It seems that the fates were speaking directly to you in that last portion. And don't ask me about the attempt of something that cannot be done. I have no idea."

"Is it about stopping you from gaining your full powers?" Harry asked. "Or is it something else?"

Tersan shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe – GET DOWN!"

Harry hurled himself backwards, drawing his wand in the process. Tersan simply warped to the other side of the chamber.

With a loud grunt and distortion of space, Sirius appeared on the floor in a crumpled heap.

"Sirius?" Harry called concernedly, rushing to Sirius's side. "Are you all right?"

"_Ohh…"_ Sirius groaned, sitting up. "I'll never get used to this!"

"Sirius," Harry asked slowly. "What did you do?"

Sirius got up unsteadily, swaying dangerously.

"Warping…" he muttered. "Don't know how to do it…"

"You don't know how to warp and you do it anyway?" Tersan said incredulously. "Then how come you didn't…oh. There's a barrier around the fortress."

"How come he didn't get lost?" Harry asked.

"I wondered that," Sirius muttered, finally settling into a couch. "Everything was whipping by so fast that I literally bounced around this place."

"But you didn't leave?" Tersan asked sternly.

Sirius shook his head. "No. Every time I impacted on the walls of this place, I simply bounced off."

Tersan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then you're safe," he said. "Unlike Harry, who ended up on the moon."

"The moon!" Sirius shouted, tearing out of his daze. "Harry!"

Turning slightly red, Harry replied, "It was by accident, alright? I was under attack by aurors under the orders of the minister."

"HE WHAT!" Sirius roared. "Then what was Dumbledore doing?"

Harry groaned. "Dumbledore was on the minister's side, Sirius. I told this to you already."

"Oh. Right," Sirius muttered under his breath. "So what were you two talking about before I…dropped in?"

Gesturing toward the sofas, Harry warped himself and Sirius to one couch and Tersan to the other.

"Tersan wanted my input on his decision to reach magical supremacy," Harry explained. "I told him that I liked the idea. What do you think Sirius? Hello…Sirius?"

Sirius was sitting on the couch, staring at Tersan in astonishment.

"M-magical supremacy?" he whispered. "But only…"

"Merlin, I know," Tersan said, exasperated. "But with the retrieval of my last two avatars, I can accomplish this."

"Just a moment," said Sirius, holding up a hand to prevent Tersan from saying anything else. "You already have four avatars: Light, Dark, Living, and Dead. What are the last two?"

Tersan leaned back, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

"My two most favorite and powerful creations," he said dramatically. "Avatar of Creation and Avatar of Destruction."

Harry frowned. "Creation and Destruction? Sounds like something out of a muggle fantasy book."

Tersan thought about that for a moment. "You know what? It actually does…"

"What are they capable of?" Sirius interjected. "I mean, I know that their names give away their powers, but what are they fully capable of to their fullest extent?"

"I don't really know," Tersan admitted. "None of my avatars have been tested to the extent of their abilities before."

"Never?" asked Harry.

"Never," Tersan repeated. "I mean, there was never a need."

"There were no others that actually rivaled your power?" Harry asked skeptically.

Tersan hesitated. "There was one, but he never fought me before, even when I challenged him."

"Who was it?' Sirius asked before Harry could.

"It was…" Tersan seemed to have difficulty speaking the name.

"Tersan?" Harry asked, concerned that Tersan's memories might prove too painful to recall.

Abruptly, Tersan stood up and walked to the far side of the chamber. Harry and Sirius watched him for several minutes while he walked side to side, seemingly lost in his own mind.

"Alright," Tersan whispered hoarsely. "I'll tell you. Kyp."

The name rang a bell in Harry's memory. "Isn't he your former second in command that the governors of Atlantis struck down?"

Harry's blunt words had an astonishing effect on Tersan. Immediately, the weapon was on the verge of tears. Unimaginable rage burned in Tersan's eyes, causing the entire chamber to rumble ominously.

"He was not just my second in command!" Tersan snarled, sending a searing gaze directly into Harry's eyes, who recoiled. The rumbling increased.

"Tersan…I…" Harry was at a loss for words. _'This is not good!'_ he thought uneasily.

"Kyp was much more than that," said Tersan angrily. "He was my first friend, more loyal than angels to god. To have his name and memory thrown around so carelessly…I CAN JUST TEAR THIS WORLD APART!"

Sirius watched the near-lethal tension between Harry and Tersan. What Tersan said, Sirius understood gravely. By simply calling Kyp a second in command that was simply killed, Harry had enraged Tersan to levels beyond comprehension.

"Tersan," Harry said desperately. "I didn't mean it!"

"Mean it or not," Tersan hissed. "You said it, nevertheless."

"But…"

Suddenly, Tersan let loose a howl of fury and released a colossal amount of raw magic that split the chamber and the fortress beyond. Incredible light suddenly erupted form his body, blinding Harry.

And there was silence.

Harry opened his eyes cautiously. Tersan was on the floor, collapsed onto his knees and hands.

"Tersan?" Harry said cautiously. "Are you alright?"

To Harry's relief, Tersan glanced up at him with a small smile and slowly returned to his feet.

"I…apologize for that outburst," Tersan said apologetically. "It was wrong of me to blame you."

Harry walked over and placed a hand on Tersan's shoulder. Being shorter than Harry, Tersan frowned at the gesture, causing Harry to laugh.

"I have got to do something about my height," Tersan muttered.

"It's fine Tersan," said Harry, chuckling. "So, you're not angry anymore?"

Tersan returned Harry a nod. "Not anymore."

"So, why did you react that way anyway?" Harry asked uncertainly. "I mean, you seemed on the verge of actually carrying out your threat."

A haze seemed to cover Tersan's eyes. "Ever since Kyp died, I had been in an utter depression, only able to maintain my sanity by doing what I did best: fighting. I instigated wars between countries and participated on random sides, always winning. But now that I think about it, I really miss Kyp."

Harry looked at Tersan sympathetically. "I had no idea."

Tersan snorted. "Of course you wouldn't. I never told you."

"How close were you?" asked Sirius, who finally approached them.

"Close?" Tersan frowned. "Well, close enough to make him an immortal and what I had hoped as an eternal companion."

"But if he was immortal, how did the governors kill him?" Sirius asked, carefully choosing his words.

Deep regret covered Tersan's face momentarily. "I gave him immortality, not invulnerability. I didn't think anyone would attack him in my own home," he explained, spitting out the last word with disgust.

Tersan sighed. "Well, now my little tantrum is over, I shall summon my last two avatars."

Sirius stepped back. "Is there anything you need? Spell books? Potions?"

Harry laughed. "Sirius, Tersan's magic is far more powerful and complex than our own, so he wouldn't need any of those things."

"But shouldn't Tersan's power be ancient and crude? Considering that his power came from the past," Sirius said.

"Ancient? Crude?" Tersan exclaimed incredulously. "Sirius, I'm shocked to find that wizards _nowadays_ are pathetically weak! Seriously, pardon the pun, you even need a wand!"

Harry suddenly thought of something.

"Tersan," he said. "What happened when you destroyed Atlantis? From magical knowledge point of view?"

Frowning, Tersan replied, "When I destroyed Atlantis, vast amounts of magical knowledge were wiped out in the process, leading to the primitive state of spellwork you see today. Basically, you had to start from scratch."

"So Merlin was…" Harry suggested.

"The sole survivor of Atlantis's destruction," Tersan finished. "If you're wondering, he wasn't in the city that day."

This caught Harry's interest. "But that was seven hundred thousand years ago. Merlin lived about six thousand years ago."

"Or so you think," Tersan answered with a smirk. "With Atlantian powers, Merlin achieved immortality easily and remained alive for that time, biding his time until he wanted to make his appearance."

"Was Merlin a powerful mage?" Sirius asked.

"Goodness no!" Tersan breathed. "All mages were destroyed when I channeled power into the governing castle. For some reason, the mages' lives were tied into the structure, resulting in their deaths when I destroyed it."

"Then what was Merlin?"

"Well, believe it or not," Tersan replied. "Merlin was actually the son of a lowly peasant."

"Where is he now?" Harry asked.

"Merlin chose to die," said Tersan. "And ascend to a higher plane."

"If Merlin was simply a peasant…" Sirius breathed, understanding. "Then Atlantis must truly have been powerful!"

"Ironic, isn't it?"

"Drakken," Harry acknowledged without turning around. Drakken's tone of voice was quite different from the rest of the avatars.

"What's ironic?" Sirius asked, frowning at Drakken.

"Everything Merlin was once believed to have been descended from," said Drakken. He turned to Tersan. "Please try to contain your temper the next time you get angry. It was difficult enough to prevent the fortress to collapse, least repair it. If we can have your assistance?"

Blushing, Tersan warped away.

"Good day to you Harry," Drakken greeted, then added before he left, "By the way, you can return to your school. When repairs are done, Creation and Destruction will be summoned. You will be informed."

( 0 0 0 )

Harry and Sirius returned to Hogwarts, with not even one second passed. Sirius asked about this, and Harry explained about the two thousand year to one-hour difference.

"Two thousand years passed down there when only one hour passes down here?" Sirius had asked. "Then that must mean that Tersan must be _really_ bored down there."

Harry laughed at this and replied that Tersan always found something to do, most of it construction work.

Sirius found that rather odd and laughed, only to be heard by Tersan and had his hair turned pink. Now Harry found _that_ funny and laughed, but was unaffected by Sirius's jinx thanks to his key's natural defensive shields.

Now all they had to do was wait for Tersan to call them.


	20. The Beginning of the War

The Beginning of the War

_Immortality is not fun, nor is it benefiting. To be entirely truthful, immortality is a curse, and a devastating one it is._

_Everyone you know, your friends, family, all die as you outlive them. Relationships with ordinary people will be short-termed; even other immortals will be much more difficult._

_Very quickly, you will lose the will to live, but you cannot die, no matter what you do. Suicide is impossible, for the body simply regenerates. Execution is impossible, for the head continues to live on after it has been severed. And even falling into the depths of hell makes no difference._

_Only then will you realize that your immortality was the worse choice you could have made, living until the end of the world._

Tersan's eyes snapped open, jerking himself out of his thoughts and returning to the summoning at hand. He was standing in mid-air, nearly three hundred miles above the earth.

"From the Void where I cast you, return!"

Flinging shards of altered space, Tersan opened a gateway directly into the Void.

"Greatest of my creations, first of the avatars, return!"

Deep blasts of magic started flooding out of the gate, increasing in power and intensity.

"The time has come to do your duty, arise!"

The gateway tore apart. Two figures stepped through; one seemed to be made entirely of silver cracks, the other swirling white lines.

"Avatar of Creation, Avatar of Destruction, welcome back."

The two entities looked at him and nodded. The avatar that was composed of lines stepped forward wordlessly and tipped its head.

Tersan nodded. "Of course. It is time!"

( 0 0 0 )

From four unknown origins on the earth, seen only at the horizon, four lines of light, white, black, green, and silver shot up to a single point in the night sky in a spiral formation.

The moment they united, a second sun lit up the sky. Every magical sensitive being on the planet looked up at once at the light, and most were blinded in that instant.

From that light, came a power that could only be classified as a god's.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry was the sole exception on the planet that _did not_ look up. Instinctively, he threw up a shield around the entire castle of Hogwarts from the Room of Requirements and poured all of his power into it.

The shield managed to hold the split second surge of power, but the effort cost Harry all his strength, causing Sirius to catch him before he fell.

"Harry!" Sirius called, gently laying Harry on the cushion that appeared. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Harry replied weakly. "Just a little tired out."

Sirius looked at Harry sternly. "What do you mean just tired out? Something happened that made you do whatever that was."

Harry returned the stern look with a playful one. "What I did was conjure a shield to protect Hogwarts."

"Protect Hogwarts?" said Sirius, confused. "Are we under attack?"

Harry chuckled, slowly regaining his strength. "No Sirius. Tersan has reached supremacy."

Confused, Sirius asked, "What does that have to do with your shield?"

Harry rolled his eyes in amusement and sat up. "There is always a burst of power accompanying every magical supremacy attainment. This one was just a little more than usual."

"Oh," Sirius muttered, slightly embarrassed at his lack of thought. "Right."

Glancing up at the ceiling, Harry muttered, "He should be calling us down to the fortress anytime now."

"How do you know that?" Sirius asked. "Do you have a telepathic link with him or something?"

"No," Harry laughed. "I'm just in second in command of his forces."

Sirius abruptly fell silent.

"What?" Harry asked. "Did I tell you that?"

"No, you did not," Sirius said slowly.

"Oh," Harry said, slightly dumbfounded. "Well, when Tersan gave me the key, he also gave me the power as his second in command."

"He gave you…"

"Yes he did Sirius."

Silence again.

( 0 0 0 )

"Unity, after so long."

As the second sun visible only to magical creatures, Tersan gazed down upon the earth like a god at his creation.

"It's only been seven hundred thousand years Tersan," Drakken remarked. "You have all eternity."

"Do I?" Tersan asked softly, looked around his circle of avatars. "I was under the impression that I may choose to end my immortality in less than a century."

"Says who?" Sheredar demanded, slightly nervous.

"Says Auroran," Tersan replied. "The master of all seers."

Calsor stepped into the conversation. "Perhaps our main objective is to not talk about this?"

Tersan nodded in approval. "Correct. Now that supremacy has been reached, we can raise the fortress."

One by one, the avatars left. Drakken was the last to leave.

Before he did, he added sarcastically, "You know Tersan, for the highest magical state possible, the uniting was rather boring."

"What did you expect?" Tersan shouted irritably, but smirked at the empty space where Drakken had resided. "Avatars…"

A crackling sound came from behind him. Tersan sighed.

"Not you too, Avatar of Destruction."

Another crackling sound.

"I suppose Drakken was right. You know, I think you need a name and form, don't you agree?"

A sharp crack, accompanied by a swishing wind sound.

"No?" Tersan asked, amused. "Even of all those times I suggested…"

There was a sharp hissing sound, like water hitting hot metal.

Tersan snorted. "Alright then. Join me in the fortress – the both of you – and I'll decide from there."

( 0 0 0 )

Harry was already heading toward the Entrance Hall at top speed when a soft bell tone sounded.

"Harry?" said Sirius, "What was that? I know Hogwarts doesn't have that sort of bell."

"Tersan's signal," Harry replied, breaking into a run. "He's calling."

"Hey!" Sirius protested. "Wait up! Why don't you just warp there?"

Harry stopped so fast that Sirius nearly crashed into him. "Huh. Why didn't I think of that?" He vanished.

Sirius glared. "Harry…I don't know how to properly warp you know…"

He never finished what he was saying. An invisible force snagged onto him and dragged him into the floor…and onto a soft cushion.

"That's rather unorthodox Harry," a voice was saying while Sirius tried to clear his head.

Blinking his eyes to clear the blur, Sirius caught sight of Calsor looking at Harry with an amused expression while Harry was looking back with raised eyebrows.

"Harry," Sirius groaned. "You did that?"

"Yeah…" Harry muttered, giving Sirius a sheepish smile. "When I remembered that you couldn't warp properly, I had a sudden idea to pull you along."

"Well, it certainly worked," Sirius said, slightly annoyed. "Could've warned me before you did that."

Harry scratched the back of his head. "Well, if I had asked you, it was most likely that you would have refused and ended up somewhere random in the fortress."

Sirius glared, but broke out into a grin. "Can't argue with that!"

Calsor glanced at the two with amusement and waved a hand to get their attention.

"Harry, there is just one more thing we need to do to get this right," he said.

"One more thing?" Harry asked. "I thought that the burst was that itself."

Calsor shook his head. "We still need the presence of the second in command. Basically, you."

Sirius looked at Harry, then at Calsor. "I'm not going to stop you from going. Tersan's avatar brought me out of the veil, and I'm very grateful for that," he said to Harry. "Least I can do in return is to let my godson go do whatever he needs to do."

"Need?" Harry asked sternly, looking at Calsor intently. "Do I need to do this?"

"Not entirely," Calsor replied. "He can do it without you, but it'll take him a considerable amount of force."

"Can't he do that easily?"

"He could," said Calsor. "But Tersan's reluctant to use such power with Hogwarts right above us. With your friends' presences in the castle, such an action is highly inadvisable."

"What might happen?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Hogwarts might blow off like a cork on a wine bottle," Calsor said casually, shrugging his shoulders. "That's the least devastating effect. I don't know about the worst. You'll have to ask Auroran."

"Why him?" Sirius asked. "Does he know the full effect?"

"Probably," said Calsor. "It's most likely because that he's a Perfect Seer and all…"

"A what?" Harry asked, baffled. "Don't tell me he's another Trelawney in disguise…"

"I doubt it," Sirius stated seriously. "Perfect Seers are extremely hard to come by and virtually impossible to confront. They have the capability to see the future at will and often tend to change the future however they like. The last Perfect Seer lived a thousand years ago by the name of Rowena Ravenclaw."

"So that's how…" Harry muttered to himself, understanding. "I've always wondered how Ravenclaw knew who Tersan said that he was going to kill, even if her vision was unclear." He glanced at Calsor. "Why was it unclear anyway?"

Calsor simply looked at him in response. Slowly, Harry understood.

"Two possibilities eh, Harry?" Calsor chuckled.

"One of me," Harry said. "And also another."

Sirius thought for a moment before replying. "So what you're saying is that the prophecy could have been fulfilled by either Harry or Neville Longbottom, right?"

Calsor nodded. "That's why her vision was unclear. The fates had yet to decide."

Harry closed his eyes for several moments, trying to envision a possible future.

"Calsor," he said, finally opening his eyes. "What does Auroran see when he looks into the future?"

The atmosphere abruptly became tense as Calsor's eyes widened at the question.

"Well, there were a few possibilities," Calsor said slowly. "A few good ones, and a few bad ones."

"What do you mean?"

"There is a future, where Tersan is at his full power with Atlantis fully restored. There is another, with Tersan alone on Earth, which was a wasteland. And another, with Tersan at his full power and the world under his control, muggles included." Calsor paused. He seemed to be having trouble continuing.

"Calsor?" Harry called concernedly, but Calsor simply waved him off and continued.

"But there was one disturbing one," Calsor said with difficulty, looking at Harry straight in the eyes. "Harry, you…betray Tersan, and cause his death."

"What are you talking about…?" Harry laughed, but found that Calsor was dead serious. "Why would I do that?"

"Something about not accepting grand leadership," Calsor said gravely. "Auroran didn't give much details, but he told us that you told Tersan to take himself and his power to hell. After that, you dismissed him."

"Dismissed?" Harry asked blankly. Suddenly, darkness enveloped them and Sheredar stepped into sight.

"The darkest and most foul curse to exist," he said dramatically, striding toward Harry as black tendrils of hissing black mist trailed around him like tentacles. "Despite its simple appearance."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked cautiously, slightly unbalanced by the sudden change in mood. "I don't even know what it is!"

"No?" Sheredar asked. "Then perhaps you need a lesson on its capabilities!" He raised his wand, pointed it at Harry, and hissed, _"Archius!"_

Instinctively, Harry tried to throw himself aside, but the black curse was unavoidable, like a snail trying to dodge a beam of light. Somehow, Harry found himself watching the curse head toward him, hissing as it came nearer and nearer. Hissing like a snake, the black line lanced toward him…and finally made contact.

Agony suddenly seared through Harry, burning and tearing him apart like a fire from within. It was pure anguish, a never-ending pain…escalating beyond all sense.

The Cruciatus would have felt like pleasure compared to this…

And the pain suddenly vanished.

"What?" Harry gasped. "What was that?"

Sheredar looked at him solemnly, all traces of his mad expression gone. "That, Harry, was the Infinite Dismissal curse that you used on Tersan. For what seems like forever, the target will be in excruciating agony. Then, as fast as you cast the spell, the target is sent into the Void."

"Why is there pain?" Harry growled, anger slowly bubbling up. "What did you do that for?"

"The pain Harry," Calsor replied, cutting Sheredar off before he could answer. "Is when your body, mind, and soul are being torn from this world and into the Void, source of all existence. You see, Tersan is naturally immune to all sorts of lethal attacks, even the Dismissal curse, due to the sheer amount of power coursing through his being. The only way to harm him is when someone he trusts turns against him. It was all an illusion, of course."

Harry swallowed hard, trying to comprehend the information. "But, I wouldn't attack Tersan…"

"Are you sure?" Sheredar asked carefully. "The future is always in motion. Things can and will happen that will change your thoughts and choices. I apologize for the unexpected attack on you, but I had to let you experience the curse to prove the point."

"That was some point," Harry breathed, bringing his anger down. "You could have warned me."

"It would have been pointless," Auroran's voice rang out as beams of light dispersed the darkness. Becoming visible as the source of the light, Auroran glided forward and placed a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder, looking into his eyes warmly.

"Sheredar wished to catch you off surprise as you did Tersan, though I opposed the idea," he said sympathetically, throwing Sheredar a dirty look.

"Your approach wouldn't have done much," Sheredar sneered. "All your supportive and kind lecturing crap never had much effect."

Auroran's face flushed with visible anger. "Just because you have more of a direct influence doesn't mean that I am entirely powerless in controlling and changing people," he snapped.

"Did I say that now?" Sheredar asked idly, dropping onto a black leather recliner he conjured.

"You – !" Auroran seemed to be at a loss for words. Throwing his hands up in frustration, he groaned, "I don't know why I even bother with this…this constant arguing."

"I don't know either…" Sheredar said mildly, gazing calmly at Auroran. "But don't you think you're rambling?"

"That's enough!" Harry cut in before the argument escalated to a battle again. "Even though what you did was illusory Sheredar, it was unnecessary."

A blast of blinding light caught their attention.

"Are you all done arguing?" Drakken asked sarcastically as he lowered a gray bone-like wand. "If you are, come with me. If not, return to the surface and stop wasting our time."

"Wasn't Tersan saying something about needing my presence?" Harry asked, remembering.

"Correct," said Drakken. "He wishes to speak to you about your prophecy. You have told Sirius?"

Harry frowned. "I already told him. But what's Tersan going to do anyway? I mean, _I'm _the prophesized one anyway."

Drakken shrugged. "I have no idea. You'll know when he tells you."

"Harry!" Sheredar called. "I know what you're thinking. Tersan will tell us eventually, don't worry."

Nodding in understanding, Harry stepped next to Drakken and warped.

"So…" Sirius muttered, glancing nervously at the remaining avatars. "What do _we_ do?"

Calsor turned to him and shrugged. "Depends on you. Tersan assigned us to watch over you, so we'll be doing just that."

"So what would you do if I suddenly decided to attack Voldemort right now?" Sirius suggested, boredom evident in his voice. "Would you join me?"

Sheredar snorted, but Auroran spoke. "If you can get out of the fortress and onto the surface without error, I suppose we could."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius growled.

"I'm not saying you're clumsy, if that's what you mean," Auroran said quickly. "It's just that your warping ability right now is more dangerous to yourself than to others around you."

"What do you mean by around me?"

For some odd reason, Sheredar slapped a hand over Auroran's mouth and answered: "You can warp into a person or an object, if you didn't know that. The last thing you want would be to step _out_ of a person's bloody carcass, if you know what I'm talking about."

"Sheredar!" Calsor abruptly snapped. "That's quite enough!"

Sirius prepared to warp away, afraid that the avatars might erupt into battle.

And the avatars continued to glare daggers at each other…

( 0 0 0 )

In utter darkness lit only by faint pinpricks of starlight, Tersan watched the Earth revolve slowly from night to day and day to night. How much it had changed since he last stood in the sky…

"Unremarkable," Tersan muttered to himself. After almost a million years, the skill in controlling magic had deteriorated into a very primitive level. Spellcasters even required wands…

Even Merlin required a few words to focus his concentration, but he didn't use a wand. Then again, the mages of Atlantis used a different plane of magic, one of much higher power and capability, far superior than ordinary magic.

"Perhaps the governors were right…" Tersan sighed. "Common humans truly do not understand what magic can actually do. Always worried about _abusing it_…" he sighed again.

He returned his gaze to the earth. Atlantis was gone now. Destroyed by his very own hand. An abrupt distortion of space caught his attention.

"Welcome Harry, to my vacation spot," he abruptly said aloud. To his satisfaction, he heard Harry give a startled laugh at Tersan's foreknowledge of his presence.

"How did you know I was here?" Harry asked, "walking" himself over the empty space to Tersan's side.

"Senses Harry," Tersan responded, turning to face the teenager. "You'll have to develop them sometime."

"If I knew how…" Harry muttered. "You had something to say Tersan?"

"How would you like to take down Voldemort once and for all?" Tersan suddenly asked, power abruptly flooding from him in torrents.

Harry staggered back in astonishment and from the force of the magic. "What do you mean?"

The magic escalated until Harry was nearly driven back. Light started to emanate from Tersan until it became blinding.

"Would you like to destroy Voldemort once and for all Harry?" Tersan repeated. "To wipe him off of the face of the earth and remove him from the flow of time?"

"Of course I do!" Harry stammered, struggling to stay upright and shield his eyes. "But why are you asking me this?"

"I can destroy him," Tersan replied, his voice echoing like thunder. "You do not have to risk your life or that of your friends."

Emotions surged through Harry as thoughts of a beautiful future flew across his mind. To live the rest of his life in peace…

"But what about you?" he nearly shouted, barely seeing Tersan's blinding figure rise up. "How are you going to do it? The prophecy?"

"Neither can live while the other survives Harry!" Tersan shouted in response, his voice normal, nearly lost in the whipping winds of magic. "In nowhere does it say that you must kill the other. Just one of the two must die for the other to survive."

The revelation brought forth a hope Harry had never felt into existence. But wasn't the prophecy meant for him?

"Either way, I can override the powers of fate," Tersan said. "If you truly wish it to be done, I shall do so this moment."

Harry fought with himself for several moments. The day that Voldemort will be gone was finally here! On sudden impulse, though meant for a thought, he blurted, "Yes!"

"Then is shall be done!" Tersan roared abruptly, causing lightning to rip across the black space from an unknown origin. Turning to face the darkening earth, Tersan said softly, "Voldemort, by the decree of the Weapon of Atlantis and the will of fate and the wish of Harry Potter, I will vanquish you!"

White light flooded the empty space, blinding Harry. Whatever was happening, Harry was certain that he had just caused something far greater than the destruction of Voldemort…

Before Harry became lost in the light, he heard Tersan say one more thing that both warmed him and chilled him to the bone.

"Voldemort, and the world, this is your day of reckoning! You will be judged!"


	21. Restoration of the Order

**A/N:** I'm very sorry for the excessively long delay, but I had a long time deciding on how to continue the rest of the story. Took me a while, but finally got this chapter. My apologies to all my readers. Forgive me for being negligent all this time. Here is the chapter.

Restoration of the Order

Land underneath whipped by faster than any living thing on earth could see, all except for Tersan Anthrias. But he didn't see the land itself, but rather the magic and life energies that ran through them. Multitudes of color surged and collided like watery gases from every particle of matter that he could see.

Light colored energies showed prosperity and vigor, mainly life. Darker colors, the opposite of the light's, dominated the world through sky and earth.

"Judgment…" Tersan whispered to himself, power rippling through him. "The day when the dark surpasses the light…" His silver eyes flashed. "The decision will be made."

He looked at the sky in regret. "Harry, I'm sorry," he said under his breath. "But in order to carry out my promise in defeating Voldemort, I must trigger a sequence of events that may possibly change the world as you know it forever."

In the midst of all the swarming multitudes of powers, a single current of thin white energy flowed from an unknown origin in the sky deep into the center of the Atlantic Ocean.

"I must carry out the final and absolute order of Atlantis."

( 0 0 0 )

Under heavy wards and extensive defenses, the unnamed mansion Voldemort resided in complete secrecy from the rest of the world. The Death Eaters would never know what hit them.

Tersan looked down on the swirling darkness.

"Hiding are you?" he whispered. "No longer."

( 0 0 0 )

A violent explosion tore through the mansion, sending fragments of Death Eaters down the wrecked hallways on various floors.

Sitting behind a massive obsidian table, Voldemort had no time to react when Tersan simply ripped apart the huge obsidian double arch doors and stormed in.

"You!" Voldemort gasped in shock, fumbling for his wand. "What are you doing here?"

Tersan simply vanished the wand with a thought and hurled aside the stone table with a wink.

"Surprised?" Tersan asked incredulously. "If I recall correctly, I told you that I would be joining Harry in the war against you. Remember now?"

"But you said that you would leave it to Harry to kill me!" Voldemort sputtered, sounding very unlike the Dark Lord he usually was.

"So I said," Tersan replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I never promised though."

Voldemort curled his lips in a snarl and drew a second wand from within his robes. "If you think you can defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort that easily, you are gravely mistaken. I am the most powerful wizard in the world, which will soon be mine after I defeat you, and assume the title of Supreme Ruler."

A sudden blast of phenomenal power slammed into Voldemort and drove him back into the stone wall behind him. The wand disintegrated into fine powder as overwhelming power overloaded its magical capacity. Before Voldemort had the time to gasp in pain, Tersan reached out with his mind and hurled Voldemort onto the floor with a sickening crunch.

"You are no supreme ruler," Tersan dictated, opening his palm as he extended his arm, "and this is not your world."

Voldemort was forced into a kneeling position, his knees shattering with a wet sound, as his body was forced upright violently.

"You are an inferior and a murderer."

His arms were folded behind his back so far that they broke, but continued moving until the center of his ribs were torn apart from within at the cartilage.

"Judgment has been passed."

The joints of Voldemort's jaw imploded and exploded into his mouth, sending fragments of bone, flesh, and blood flying out past his lips.

"You are found guilty of crimes against your own race, your own species, and your own people."

Voldemort's eyes exploded and threw fluid across the room, though none touched Tersan.

"Your sentence is death."

As blood gurgled in Voldemort's throat from his efforts to breath or scream, the windpipe of the throat collapsed suddenly, sealing off his air.

"It shall be carried out immediately."

Quickly and efficiently, Voldemort's body promptly tore itself to pieces.

"If you are thinking that your Horcruxes will save you," Tersan said informatively at the gaseous form that rose from the bloodied remains of the Dark Lord, "by now, my avatars would have tracked down and destroyed each and every last one of them."

The spirit seemed to be surprised, but came to shocking realization as its attachment to the mortal realm started slip.

"Your presence is no longer needed on this world," Tersan stated flatly. "I have the power to change fate, destiny, and defy paradox. Therefore, I hereby invoke my given power and direct it is I that is destined to destroy you."

"_No! This cannot be possible!"_ the spirit gasped as a chasm of fire suddenly erupted under it, forming a whirlpool that started to pull him in.

"There is power that is greater than you Voldemort," said Tersan, watching Voldemort's spirit scream as it struggled futilely against the fire's strength.. "And that, is me. Have fun in hell, for that is where I destine you to be."

( 0 0 0 )

Harry found himself abruptly back in the fortress on the same crystalline platform he had left Sirius.

"How did it go?" Sirius asked as Harry approached him.

"Odd," Harry replied, shrugging. "He just gave off a huge blast of magic and shot toward the earth."

"The avatars disappeared at the time too," Sirius noted, then paused. "What do you mean by toward the earth?"

Harry blinked. "Oh. Tersan and I were somewhere in space overlooking the earth. I told him that I would like Voldemort to be destroyed, and he gave off that power and flew off."

"You think he took his avatars to wage war?"

"Not likely," said Harry, shaking his head. "Tersan would most likely blast Voldemort away, since that process is the most simple."

Sirius stared at Harry for a few moments. "Well, since we're both at a loss for whatever's going on, you have a place in mind where we can go to?"

"Um…" Harry glanced around the fortress, tapping into his key's power. "It seems that the warping barrier is still up, and since you can't get through, I suppose we can go wait in the fortress's main chamber."

"There's a main chamber?" Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged. "I don't even know why he needs it, but there is one."

"Probably for show," suggested Sirius. "Not that I know much about him."

Harry frowned. "Now that you mention it, I have always thought that I knew Tersan. But when I actually think about it, I don't actually know anything _about_ Tersan himself." Still frowning, Harry focused his mind and pulled the fortress's main chamber space toward him and stepped through.

"Harry!" Sirius called after him, slightly irritated by his abrupt departure. "Wait for me!" Uncertain on how to travel, Sirius simply placed the main chamber's image in his mind after he caught a glimpse of it from Harry, and Apparated.

Loud as a gunshot but as forceful as a cannon blast, Sirius appeared in the main chamber to find Harry sprawled out in a heap across an overturned stuffed chair.

"Harry?" Sirius called out. "Are you alright?"

With an exasperated groan, Harry pulled the rest of his body off the chair and stood up, straightening the chair as he did so. "Sirius," Harry groaned. "Who told you to Apparate?"

"I wasn't…supposed to?" Sirius asked hesitantly.

Harry rolled his eyes and explained, "You were given the ability to warp for a reason Sirius. It's not only easier than apparition, warping is much safer and more convenient. And it's silent, unlike your explosive appearance."

"I should probably save it for pranks," Sirius muttered sheepishly. "But I don't remember my apparating to be this loud…"

"It's not," Harry assured him. "The power that flows through here conflicts with your apparition, so when you do Apparate, there is a collision of power."

"And thus an explosive force is born," Sirius finished dryly. "You tell me that now."

Harry simply laughed and conjured another chair for Sirius, who looked grateful to be able to sit.

"So," Sirius started as he settled himself into the seat. "How do you know all these spells anyway? I thought that only seventh year Hogwarts students were capable of conjurations like this," he said, gesturing to his seat. "It's quite comfortable though, thanks."

Harry raised his right hand and lowered the sleeve, exposing the key on his wrist. "Tersan gave me this key to release him from the chamber. But it's much more than that, since it appears to have the ability to converse with me fluently as well as supply me with a vast variety of spells when I need them."

"Convenient," Sirius agreed heartily. "What are the chances of me getting one?" he added with a smirk.

"I'm afraid none," Harry replied apologetically. "Only one key can exist at a time, or the two will conflict with each other. Basically, they'll cancel each other out."

"That's alright," Sirius said, smiling. "I think I can count on you for now. Speaking of which, I think one of the avatars mentioned a prophecy regarding you."

"Oh." Harry mentally kicked himself for not remembering the matter. "A year before I was born, Professor Trelawney…yes, Trelawney," Harry added, seeing Sirius's expression of disbelief, "made a prophecy about the person that would lead to the downfall of the Dark Lord Voldemort. It was during the job interview with Professor Dumbledore that he had with her while searching for a Divinations teacher did she make the prophecy, which is why she works at Hogwarts to this day."

"What of the prophecy itself?"

"To put it in simple words," said Harry, his voice devoid of emotion. "The prophecy stated that one of us, Voldemort and I, would have to kill the other." He grimaced. _"For neither can live while the other survives…"_ he added dully.

"And Tersan agreed to kill Voldemort for you," Sirius noted, but another revelation came to mind. "But doesn't that conflict with the prophecy?"

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Why should it? Nowhere does it say that ONLYVoldemort and I must kill one another. It simply says that I have the power to take down Voldemort and that we simply can't live on the same world without fighting one another."

"But what about the part that says…?"

"Neither can live while the other survives?" Harry asked amusedly. "Give me a break. We're both alive right now and not one of us is not living at the moment, unless Tersan kills Voldemort in the next few thousand years."

Sirius glanced at Harry, startled. "What do you mean by that?"

"You don't know about the time dilation difference?" Harry asked incredulously. "For every hour on Earth, two thousand years passes here."

"Two thousand years…?" Sirius muttered in disbelief. "Why does he need that?"

Harry shrugged. "Most likely to build this fortress, among other various things."

Sirius leaned back into the cushion, slightly confused at the new information. "Don't tell me anything else…"

Harry rolled his eyes, but said nothing and stood up. Walking over a blank wall, Harry waved a hand absentmindedly and the entire section in front of him to turn transparent. Gazing out at the magically lit landscape of grassy plains and vast forests, Harry noted amusedly at Tersan's creativity at the pictures formed by the color variations in the grass and trees themselves.

"What might you be looking at?" Sirius asked Harry as he walked up and stood next to Harry, also looking at the view.

"Tersan is quite funny when it comes to bored creations," Harry remarked, gesturing to certain areas of the scenery. "Look at those areas. What do you see?"

Sirius studied the colors intently for several moments before bursting with laughter. "You, me, Ron, Hermione, and a white phoenix?"

"Oh," Harry laughed. "That's Hedwig, a gift from Calsor. He turned her into a phoenix."

"A phoenix?" Sirius repeated, dazed. "Just how many other things did they do for you?"

Harry's happy expression turned blank. "They gave me you Sirius," he said softly, turning his gaze to his godfather's face.

"And they also gave you – !" Sirius said loudly, but then paused, "…me." He turned his head and returned Harry's pained look. "Oh Harry…"

"You're like a father to me Sirius," Harry said, his voice nearly a whisper. "I lost you, but now you're back. I don't ever want you to leave again!" Harry's voice broke down as emotions finally came to the surface, no longer governed by his Mindcraft from his slipping control.

"Harry," Sirius tried to say firmly, but failed as his voice also faltered. "I-I won't ever leave you. I promise!" Giving Harry a confident smile, Sirius took Harry into his arms and gently rocked him back and forth as mixed sadness and happiness surged through them. A couch appeared beneath them from Sirius's conjuration, and they both sat on it, wiping their tears from their eyes and started chatting happily about random matters.

( 0 0 0 )

Tersan watched the glowing crater where Voldemort's mansion used to reside.

"It is done then," he said to himself, almost sorrowfully. "I must do what I must do."

Turning his gaze to the stream of white light, Tersan warped into it.

( 0 0 0 )

The fortress suddenly gave a violent jolt, knocking Harry and Sirius to the floor. Before either of them could stand back up, the fortress jolted again, and started to rise up.

With a deep rumble, the roof of the underground fortress suddenly split apart, revealing the pale blue sky of the winter season.

"What's going on?" Sirius protested from the floor. "Hey, how are you standing?"

Harry had tapped into his magic to right himself on the wildly pitching floor. Sirius, on the other hand, merely bounced here and there.

"I'm not sure," Harry said shakily, partly because of his shaking jaw. "But I think that the fortress is starting to rise up out of the ground."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Sirius shouted over the rumbling. "Either way, can you stop this shaking or get me standing up at least?"

"No problem," Harry yelled, flicking his wand. The movement finally stopped as the fortress rose up smoothly this time.

"Thanks," Sirius groaned, rubbing various parts of his body. Abruptly, a memory came to his mind. "Harry, isn't Hogwarts directly above us?"

Harry blinked. He hadn't thought about that! Whipping his head up toward the ceiling, he mentally commanded the material to become transparent, and sighed with relief.

"Sirius, you remember that I told you that the command spire of the fortress was rooted directly under the Entrance Hall?" Harry asked. "Well, it seems that the spire is the only thing that's holding the castle up."

It took a few moments for the message to sink into Sirius's jolted head. "Everyone must be in for a surprise!" he said jokingly. "Imagine that!"

A nearly invisible ripple flickered through the air, causing the fortress to tip wildly.

"The time dilation must be gone now, but what's with the jolt?" Harry muttered to himself while Sirius was thrown a long distance away with a faint wail of help. "Sirius?"

Harry turned around, but saw nothing. Shrugging, he watched as the immense fortress ascend from deep underground to take the place of the lake in front of Hogwarts.

"I wonder how Hogwarts is going to get down…"

( 0 0 0 )

It was there, the place and thing that he hated more than the Chamber of Isolation.

Atlantis, resurrected from the flawless memories of the Weapon itself.

Consisting of magnificent crystals and luscious metals, the city/continent was an incredible sight to behold. No two buildings were alike, but were so artistically designed that it seemed as though angels had built them. A glorious castle stood at the center of the city/continent, standing significantly taller than everything else around it.

"By exercising my power of absolute judgment, I am to follow the last and most important order of the Conclave, the gathering of the governors," Tersan said aloud as he stood upon the tallest spire of the castle. "As the sole survivor of the city Atlantis, beautifully named by Izual himself, I am to decide on the fate of mankind. Based on the balance of good and evil in this world, I, Tersan Anthrias, am to decide whether mankind and its associating living species will continue to endure or perish under my might." Lightning flashed across the night sky as he finished his last word, illuminating his mournful expression.

"I am sorry Harry," he whispered sadly into the night air. "But from what I see, my decision and judgment for this world is…total…annihilation."

The sky began to rain fire.

**A/N: **The more reviews I get, the more inspiration I will have, and the faster I will write. So please, tell me your opinions!

Warlord Harrsk


	22. The Last Command

**A/N:**

_Darksoul_: Thanks for the appreciation. Don't worry. Fudge will soon be taken care of…

_Exarikun_: I believe your concerns will be relinquished here as you read on. And was that was a cliffhanger? I didn't know.

_Lordheaven_: If you realize the sheer magnitude of Tersan's power, you'll understand that no one can match up to him directly. There are ways around it though…

And now I thank everyone else for reviewing:

-musicalmonk17-Child of Shadows-bob marker-The Grey Fox-cellosrock753-blade13hjp-Amy-Carol-Blue Werewolf Boy-Junky-Cindy Snowflake-bandgsecurtiyaw-shadowwalker2-Spiller Sonique-ohmygawsh-

I apologize for not updating in a while. Lack of inspiration was at fault!

The Last Command

Every single one of the castle's windows were packed with masses of students. Teachers were mesmerized along with them as they watched countless meteors plummet downward from the red sky like columns of fire. Wherever they hit, destruction ensued.

"Bloody hell!" Ronald Weasley roared in anger as an earth-shattering jolt drove him into the wall and onto the floor. With the sudden change of color in the sky from blue to red and appearance of destructive cosmic matter, the school had been bombarded continuously until an unexpected object thrust them high into the sky over the path of the meteors.

"More like burning hell," growled a fellow Gryffindor furiously. "Do you know what's going on?"

Watching the muggle cities below crumble and burn beneath the assault, Ron numbly shook his head.

"LOOK OUT!" someone screamed. Fragments had suddenly broken away from a particularly large meteor and headed toward the school at incredible speed. But the moment the fragments passed within a one-mile radius of the castle, the stone bricks that made up the castle's walls abruptly lit up with a golden blue light.

A blinding violent transparent dome materialized, encompassing the top portion of Hogwarts like a giant umbrella. The fragments of the meteor slammed into the shield and shattered, creating large red gold ripples in the shield that expanded all over the magical dome.

Without warning, green lightning exploded from the top of the North Tower and lanced out through the shield, intercepting other meteors that headed toward the shield, blowing them into nothingness.

"Everyone back away from the windows!" Dumbledore strode down the corridor rapidly, followed by the rest of the Hogwarts staff. "Mr. Weasley, please come with me."

"What's going on Professor?" a nearby second year Ravenclaw asked. "Is this some sort of demonstration? Like the Tri-Wizard Tournament?"

"This is no demonstration." Alexander Evans suddenly appeared soundlessly in the hallway, turning from the window to face the headmaster. "What you see here now is the power of Hogwarts when something places its existence in danger, a little something I managed to activate in time."

Dumbledore froze at Alexander's presence, but fought to maintain his calm. "Mr. Evans, explain please," he said.

Alexander glanced around the hallway at the staring students. "It's best if we discuss this within you office, along with Ron and Hermione."

"I am headed there at the moment," said Dumbledore. "Mr. Weasley, where is Miss Granger?"

"In the library, I think," Ron replied. "Don't know what she would be doing there at a time like this."

"Ron!" Hermione's voice shot down the hall as she ran as fast as she could toward the Gryffindor. "Do you know what's going on out there?" Catching sight of Dumbledore, Hermione skidded to a stop and gave a hasty apology. "Sorry Professor…"

"There is nothing to apologize for, Miss Granger," Dumbledore cut her off gently, his eyes twinkling.

"Now then," said Alexander. "Lead the way Headmaster."

Dumbledore stared at Alexander's change in personality for a moment, then placed the matter on his list of questions in his mind.

"Follow me."

( 0 0 0 )

"Now then Mister Evans," said Dumbledore as he gestured to the seats in front of his desk. "If you would be as kind enough to shed some light on our current situation."

Alexander shook his head politely at Dumbledore's offer of the chairs and remained standing. "Tersan seems to be using his greatest power, Judgment."

"Judgment?" Dumbledore asked blankly. "And that is…?"

"The action that the Weapon takes when he reaches his highest state of magical mastery, or Supremacy," Alexander explained. "He decides on the fate of either an individual or entire race."

"Of…?"

Alexander looked at Dumbledore straight in the eyes. "Anything he wants to, Headmaster."

Dumbledore leaned back and surveyed the boy skeptically over his half-moon glasses.

The ground suddenly slammed upward.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry stared up at the torn bedrock that remained attached to Hogwarts' foundation.

"It took that much force to break Hogwarts out of the ground?" Harry mused, watching the debris fall off of the broken foundation.

"Where's the tunnel that leads to the Chamber of Secrets?" Sirius asked Harry, standing with him in the courtyard they were sitting in. Reclining actually, considering that their chair backs could be adjusted downward while a footrest extended out for them.

"Right there," Harry replied, pointing to a series of jagged pipes. "The one where every other pipe connects to?"

"I see," said Sirius. "But shouldn't we worry if someone flushes the toilet?"

Harry stared at his godfather for a few moments. Sirius stared back.

"Flush the toilet?" Harry repeated. The two of them suddenly roared with laughter at the idea.

"It's not possible," Harry laughed. "If anything like that comes from the school, it'll simply vanish."

"So we're safe?" Sirius joked, nearly tipping over his recliner.

Harry simply rolled his eyes. "Either way, there's a natural shield on this fortress, so there's nothing to worry about," he assured him. "Oh look, we're moving. The entire courtyard is moving…and the fortress is changing its form again?" Without warning, his scar seared with excruciating pain, sending sparks across his vision.

"Harry!" Sirius shouted in alarm as Harry flipped off the recliner, clutching his scar in agony. "What's going on?"

Through the blinding pain, Harry could barely hear his own name being called by his godfather. And then, the pain was gone.

"Harry?" Sirius called carefully at the boy's trembling form. "Are you okay?"

"I…" Harry gasped, "I think so." Calling on his Mindcraft to block out the pain, Harry cautiously stood up and took a few steps. Satisfied with his condition, he sat back down on his recliner, which had folded back into a chair.

"Do you know what happened?" asked Sirius, kneeling next to Harry.

"I don't know," Harry answered, rubbing his forehead. "It just started to hurt so much." He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, pulling his bangs up for a split second. "My scar has never hurt so much like this before…"

"What scar?"

Harry snapped his gaze to Sirius's eyes at his alarmed voice. "What are you talking about?" he asked slowly, reaching back to his forehead to feel the mark. "The scar on my…" He paused. Harry couldn't find the scar.

"Sirius…" Harry whispered, looking at his godfather in apprehension. "What…"

"It's gone!" Sirius exclaimed finally. "The scar has vanished!"

"It can't just vanish," Harry protested, conjuring a mirror. "It's a curse scar. Those things don't just _vanish_ for no apparent reas…" His forehead was blank.

"Harry…" Sirius started slowly.

"Tersan," Harry whispered. "He must have killed Voldemort!"

"HE?" Sirius nearly shouted. "But the prophecy…"

But Harry wasn't listening. He was staring at the red sky, a single tear trickling out of the corner of his eye.

"Tersan…thank you!"

( 0 0 0 )

A flicker in the streams of color caught his attention. Tersan glanced at the subtle change for a moment, comprehending its message.

"I hear you Harry," whispered Tersan. "And you're welcome."

Turning away from the shimmer of energy, he strode out of the remains of a muggle skyscraper and warped to its roof. Looking toward the sky, Tersan sent a single command of thought.

Winds started swirling up around him, picking up speed until a tornado suddenly shot up from around his body to the ashy sky. The moment the tornado's vortex touched the clouds, it tore at them until they started rotating violently fast into it. Tersan looked up toward the top of the meter wide swirling winds and started to levitate himself up rapidly toward the top.

The moment his feet elevated above the top of the tornado, the clouds exploded into tremendous proportions, expanding in size and increasing in moisture density.

"Just stir it up a bit," Tersan muttered to himself. Reaching out with a hand, Tersan moved his finger in a circular motion. In an instant, the clouds around him were hurled into motion, rotating faster and faster. There was a flash of light, and the hurricane became the size of the Antarctic continent.

"Off you go then," Tersan said with a tone that a child would to a pet. Waving his hand absentmindedly, he sent the hurricane off to a random direction.

( 0 0 0 )

Hermione dragged herself up onto her knees by Dumbledore's desk despite the shaking ground and cast a glance out the windows.

"Where in bloody Merlin's house did this storm come from?" she snarled furiously, surprised at her own language.

Ron unfortunately, was unable to find any handholds and tumbled around the office until Alexander cast a sticking spell on the ground, holding him in place. "Are you asking me?" Ron shouted from the floor, batting away a stray book that slid toward him. "Cause if you are, I don't have an answer for you!"

"Hang on a moment!" Alexander yelled. Raising a nearly transparent water-like wand, he pointed it toward the window and gave a furious jab.

Instantly, the storm vanished, and the office became level.

"I could almost say that the experience was enjoyable," Dumbledore noted amusedly, though his surprise was clearly visible. "My office however, seems to think otherwise."

Glancing around the room, Ron nearly burst out laughing at Dumbledore's reference of the office's extremely ruined state.

"Once an avatar, always an avatar," Alexander muttered to himself. "Even after dropping my avatar state, I still have the power."

"What was that Mister Evans?" asked Dumbledore as he set about repairing his office.

"I'm no longer an avatar, Professor," Alexander grumbled, joining Dumbledore in his efforts of fixing the room. "I do owe you an apology though," he added sheepishly, restoring a bookshelf with a glance of his eyes and replaced its book with a flick of his wand. "Professor, I'm sorry for my actions toward you and this school. I should have been more considerate."

"Tell me something," said Dumbledore, releasing Ron from the sticking charm that Alexander had forgotten to remove. "How much authority does Tersan exert over his avatars?"

Alexander paused as he thought about it. "I don't know the full extent, but it's most likely absolute, why?"

Dumbledore gave Alexander a twinkle of his eyes. "Then you have no reason to apologize for. You were merely acting on his orders, weren't you?"

"Yes…" Alexander answered slowly. "But…"

Dumbledore raised a hand, silencing him. "It is understandable, but you can explain everything when we sort out our current situation. Do you have a way of contacting Harry?"

"Not directly, but I could find him," Alexander offered.

"Searching would take far too long," Dumbledore replied. "Perhaps you could send a signal that…"

"There's no need for that Professor," Hermione interrupted as she turned away from the window she was looking down from.

"Miss Granger?"

Hermione pointed at something under the castle as Dumbledore and Alexander walked over.

"What in the name of…?" Dumbledore whispered.

From what the ancient professor could see, they were on the first of three domes, the base being the size of a large city. The domes were entirely blank white, made up of a crystalline metal that reflected light at distorted angles. Their formations and surfaces were perfectly aligned and smooth, except for a football field sized courtyard in alignment with the facing of the office's windows.

"How high up are we?" Ron breathed, staring at the pinpricks of trees.

And in that courtyard, a very familiar, though barely visible, figure was waving at the school.

"Is that…Harry?" Alexander asked incredulously. "What on earth did he do to the…?" He vanished from Hermione's side.

"How does he do that?" Hermione asked in astonishment. "Hey! How'd he get there?"

A second figure had appeared next to the waving figure, giving a wave back at the school before gesturing the first to stop. Another figure appeared next to the two and wrapped the shortest figure in what appeared to be a crushing hug.

"Who's the third guy?" Ron asked. "Is that one of Tersan's avatars?"

"Too tall," Hermione replied. "He looks oddly familiar."

Abruptly, the three figures vanished.

"Hey, where'd they go?"

"ROAR!" a voice howled from behind them, causing Hermione and Ron to yelp in shock. Dumbledore simply turned around with an amused expression and froze in utter shock when he faced the person standing in front of him.

"What, surprised?" Sirius tried to say sarcastically, but ended up laughing it out.

Dumbledore gaped at Sirius. "How is this possible?" he gasped. "Anyone who enters the veil dies!"

"Rather melodramatic, Headmaster," Harry said with a smile. "But to make a long story short, one of Tersan's avatars brought him back out after hiding in there for so long."

"Hiding?" Dumbledore said blankly, still dazed. "From what?"

Harry laughed aloud. "Professor, it'll take too long to explain everything, so I'll leave it to Sirius to tell you everything while I figure out what this freak storm is."

"Harry," Hermione started to say uncertainly. "I think you should tell us what this thing under us is."

"Oh that?" said Harry. "I don't really know. It could be an egg for all I know. Actually, Tersan told me it was a fortress."

"And a fortress with a purpose to which I have yet to have a clue," Sirius muttered, chuckling to himself at Dumbledore's expression. "Hello Hermione, Ron," he added, nodding to each in person.

Hermione shrieked, having noticed Sirius for the first time. Ron's eyes grew as large as sand dollars.

"You're dead!" she screamed. "You're dead! Oh my god!"

"What a way to greet someone recently brought back to life," Sirius said depressingly. "But it's good to see you too."

"Hermione," Harry said, exasperated. "Can you comprehend what is in front of you right now with your own eyes?"

"But…but," Hermione sputtered. "I read that…"

"Not everything is according to what books say," Alexander said. "I mean, Harry survived the lethal killing curse that was supposed to be capable of killing anything."

"Alex," Harry muttered under his breath. "Don't tell her the actual reason."

"I know," Alexander whispered back. "To think Calsor gets all the credit…" Harry smiled back at him.

"Harry, if you would," Dumbledore croaked, slowly moving to his desk while keeping his eyes on Sirius. "Please tell us how this was possible, for the sake of our curiosity."

Harry rolled his eyes and looked at Sirius. "You explain."

"Lazy brat," Sirius muttered.

( 0 0 0 )

Tersan blinked at the disappearance of the hurricane. He had forgotten about his former avatar, Alexander.

"It seems that I have forgotten about Harry's cousin," Tersan said aloud, waving aside the remains of the super storm. "Once an avatar, retain the knowledge of the magic he forever will. This approach is now out of the question."

Tersan sighed and looked at the vast continents still being ravaged by the meteor showers and frowned. It was too slow.

"Why must I do everything myself?" he growled. "Am I surrounded by incompetent idiots?"

In a flash of fiery lightning, Tersan hurtled toward the nearest portion of land: the African continent. The dry ground exploded with the force of several thermonuclear weapons as Tersan slammed his power into the earth. Spotting a city nearby, Tersan warped into it, appearing in the middle of a busy street.

"Interesting," Tersan noted to himself, not paying attention to the astonished reactions from the people around him when he appeared out of nowhere. "The utter state of poverty and primitiveness due to neglect from the rest of the world. I highly doubt that this place will have much purpose for the rest of the world."

A car suddenly rounded the corner, heading directly toward Tersan. The driver slammed on his brakes and beeped his horn to ward off the person blocking his path. He was too late however, as his vehicle continued on its path to strike the obstruction.

Abruptly, Tersan drew his arm back and slammed his fist into the front of the car, punching through the hood and deep into the engine. In one fluidic motion, Tersan twisted his feet, whirled around, and threw the car high into the air into a skyscraper several miles away.

In the midst of the screams of panic and running people, Tersan pointed his silver wand at the skyscraper and uttered a single word: _"Exscido!"_

The building vanished in an explosion of nuclear fire, tearing the city apart.

"Finally some results," Tersan scoffed as he launched himself into the air high above the explosion. "Perhaps dropping the moon on the planet would be much easier though…"

Shaking his head, Tersan knew that dropping the moon would produce the destruction of the entire world, something that he wasn't intending on doing.

"This would take far too long, city by city," Tersan complained, launching himself higher and higher into the sky with each step of his feet. "I need something more…"

A shining glint in his vision caught his attention, causing his eyes to roll in exasperation.

"Of course…" Tersan had forgotten about the restored city. Stopping his ascension, he focused his attention on a certain set of focused energies that was interlocked within the natural forces of the universe.

"AVATARS!" he suddenly shouted. Immediately, four avatars appeared in front of him standing at attention. Two more appeared in formation behind him: Creation to his right and Destruction to his left.

"I know that you understand what I need?" Tersan said to the avatars that stood in front of him.

"We understand," the avatars said in unison.

"Reunite," Tersan ordered. Without hesitation, the four avatars stepped forward and placed their hands together in front of Tersan.

"You know," Tersan said abruptly, his hand paused inches from his avatars. "I'll miss talking to you."

The four avatars glanced at one another before back to Tersan.

"We are always with you Tersan," Auroran said reassuringly. "You can speak to us whenever you wish."

Tersan scoffed. "Only in essence. But it fits my purpose."

The avatars nodded. "As you were designed."

Smiling at his avatars, Tersan placed his hand on theirs. Dissolving into mists that reflected their powers, the avatars vanished and flowed into Tersan, ceasing to exist.

"To think that I created them to place my destructive power under control…" Tersan said quietly. Taking an intent look at the entire African continent, Tersan banished the thought from his mind.

"Destruction," he called out, turning slightly to face the avatar to his left. "You can take care of this?"

"Of course," a calm but playful voice answered him. Tersan turned around fully to face his avatar and raised his eyebrows.

"You've taken the form of young Colin Creevey, have you?" Tersan said.

The avatar nodded in response. "It seemed appropriate. Creevey is young and playful, just like myself, except for the age. Now then, you needed me to bring about some damage?"

Tersan gestured grandly to the planet below him. "Total reconstruction. I believe you understand the scale of this work."

'Colin' smirked. "You've done this before. Humanity didn't pass your expectations?"

"Pass?" Tersan scoffed. "Just take a look at the conditions of human life. Their history alone should tell you how unstable these people are."

"Why not try ruling them?" 'Colin' suggested. "Direct rule seems effective."

Tersan snorted, resisting the urge to rap his avatar sharply on the head. "I don't even know why you would suggest that. Do you remember what happened to the people who tried that seven hundred thousand years ago?"

"You killed them," 'Colin' stated matter-of-factly. "Do you fear your avatars turning on you?"

Rolling his eyes, Tersan replied, "If that were only possible."

"Whatever you say," 'Colin' muttered lazily. "I have work to do now."

Tersan's face brightened. "Don't mind if I join you?"

"How can I?" 'Colin' snapped back, but his tone was playful. "Oh sure, go ahead."

"Wonderful!" Tersan exclaimed happily. "Creation, you can do whatever you wish."

"Really?" came his voice from behind him. Tersan turned around and widened his eyes. He was looking at himself.

"Why are you…?"

Creation scratched his nose absentmindedly, and action that looked odd on Tersan's face. "You did say that I was permitted to do whatever I wished?"

"I didn't mean that," Tersan groaned. "But never mind. I'll be down on Earth if you need anything."

Just as Tersan was about to descend, Creation suddenly spoke. "You don't like being what you are, do you Tersan?"

Stopping in his tracks, Tersan didn't turn around as he asked, "Why do you think that?"

"I can see it in your eyes, Tersan," Creation replied. "As the Avatar of Creation, I can see and feel anything in anything I wish, even you."

Tersan sighed. This was not something he wanted to talk about. "Creation, why are you asking me this?"

"You have long wished to end your existence since the day you were designed and constructed," Creation said softly. "Why?"

"I was a child once," Tersan responded, turning around to face Creation directly. "Not something snatched from the ether. The same entity that once resided within my mind to lock out my magical knowledge is the exact copy of my former child self. That's why it was able to reside within me for such a long time."

"I understand now," said Creation. "Your child life was merely a template for the governors to build on, but the design was flawed. They are after all, only human."

"Leading to the restoration of my emotion and the destruction of Atlantis, yes." Tersan frowned for a moment. "How is it you do not know of this?"

"You never released that part of your history to us," Destruction said from behind him. "If what you tell us now is the exact events of your past, then you despise what you are because your human morals are surfacing."

"No." Tersan shook his head. "They have long since been on the surface. My loyalty to the governors was tied into my soul."

"Then how did you destroy Atlantis?" Creation asked.

"The governors never told me that I couldn't," Tersan said stiffly. "Governor Marcus himself said that I could destroy Atlantis whenever I wished, even though he was joking about it."

"You must take their words seriously," Destruction said solemnly. "The act of judgment you are carrying out now…"

"…was their first order and final order," Tersan finished. "I hated being _Tersan Anthrias_ after the first time I executed the governors' order."

"Weapon of Atlantis…" Creation translated quietly. "You would prefer your former name Tanius Acrin?"

Shaking his head sadly, Tersan turned back toward Destruction and started descending.

"No Creation," Tersan called over his shoulder as he flew downward. "I would prefer to _be_ Tanius Acrin."

( 0 0 0 )

"So what you're saying is that Tersan will destroy every living thing on the earth and rebuild it?" Dumbledore asked sharply.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Alexander replied. "With exception of us here because of the fortress, everything else will be completely destroyed and rebuilt."

"Alex…?" Harry whispered in horrified astonishment. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Considering that the meteor shower that we are currently having is wreaking havoc around the world, although small, it's the beginning of Tersan's judgment." Alexander leaned back into the seat. "I am correct to assume that you were completely unaware of this?"

"No…" Harry breathed. "Tersan simply asked me if I wanted Voldemort dead…and I said yes. I didn't think he'd be using _judgment _on the world, even if I knew he had the power."

"Harry," Dumbledore started wearily. "We all make mistakes, but this…"

"That's why the founders locked him away…" Harry whispered as shocked realization coursed through him.

"Professor!" he cried at the wizard desperately.

_"What have I done?"_


	23. Breaking of the Vow

The Breaking of the Vow

Tersan's eyes were narrowed as he charged through a city toppling buildings and houses as he went. Spotting a bunched group of people, Tersan glanced around and saw a nearby bus. Halting in his tracks momentarily, he thrust out a hand and summoned the bus toward himself. Just as the bus reached him, Tersan threw the bus toward the crowd and ignited the gas in its tank, incinerating the crowd.

"_Creative!"_ Destruction called into his mind. _"But take a look at this!"_

Tersan turned around and flattened a building to see what his avatar was up to on the other side. Destruction was grinning madly as fiery streams of magic coursed out of his fingertips into the ground.

"Take a look at this!" the avatar screamed crazily toward the fleeing people. Destruction abruptly jerked his hands off, cutting off the rivers of energy. At once, the entire city block became swamped in searing hot white flames as the underground gas lines erupted and ignited, augmented by the avatar's power. Buildings caught in the fire promptly melted and sprayed everywhere in a shower of molten rock and metal. There was little left of anything living.

"Using their own devices against them, are you now?" Tersan shouted amusedly over the roar of the flames. "Why don't you try something more original like this?" Raising his hand above his head, Tersan snapped his fingers. A metallic object suddenly dropped out of the sky and detonated above the city, forming the infamous mushroom cloud of a nuclear weapon. The super hot gases of the blast first crushed everything standing with its explosive compression, then flooded the rest of the city to vaporize everything else.

"How's that?" Tersan yelled. To his pleasure, Destruction shook his head with a smile and gestured with his head. Nodding in response, Tersan followed his avatar to another city.

Smirking, Destruction walked into the middle of traffic, causing cars and trucks alike slammed into him and deflected off in random directions as his body refused to budge an inch from the impacts. Not even paying attention to the chaos around him, Destruction sent his power deep into the core of the earth and pulled.

With an earthshaking boom, magma suddenly exploded from the mantle, tearing open a gaping crater in the city over a mile wide. Standing in the middle of the flowing lava, Destruction laughed as the lava surged out of the crater to flood the city and destroy it and its inhabitants.

"So simple!" Destruction shouted, wading toward Tersan. "Just cause a little natural disaster, and human society simply crumbles!"

"That's because you stuck a volcano in the middle of them," Tersan said dryly. "What other result did you expect?"

Destruction shrugged. "For them to flee as they usually do in the past."

Tersan rolled his eyes and groaned. "If you haven't noticed, humanity has learned quite about the world around them. They understand how natural disasters work better than they did before."

"I knew that!" Destruction said quickly. "I simply wanted to see their reactions in this century."

"Right," Tersan said sarcastically. "Watch your step!" Given too late, the warning was uttered uselessly as Destruction's foot suddenly sunk into the ground deeper than the avatar had expected, causing him to stumble and trip. Muttering nonsense in a grumbling voice, Destruction pulled himself back onto his feet and glared at Tersan.

"You did that on purpose!" he snarled at Tersan.

"So what if I did?" Tersan laughed, shrugging. "You should have been paying attention."

Abruptly, Destruction laughed and shook his head. "I was only joking Tersan. It doesn't matter to me."

"It never has," Tersan muttered, but also laughed. "Anyway, how about doing something a little higher on the destructive scale?"

"What ideas do you have?" Destruction asked. "Aside from muggle weapons or natural disasters?"

Tersan looked at Destruction thoughtfully for a moment. "How about our armies?"

"War?" Destruction grunted in disbelief. "Against pathetic powerless humans?"

"Just a thought," said Tersan, raising his hands.

But Destruction simply laughed and shook his head. "I am quite interested in humanity's reaction to our power, but don't you think that it would be much more dramatic if non-magical creatures and magical creatures united together?"

Tersan snorted. "Considering humanity's discrimination against their own species, they may wipe themselves out before we can do anything."

"Undoubtedly so," Destruction agreed. "Will you unite them?"

"No," replied Tersan, shaking his head. "I came here to carry out judgment, not toy with their destruction. No pun intended."

Destruction beamed. "No offense taken."

"Of course not!" an irritated voice snapped. "You're impossible to insult."

"Ah!" Tersan called cheerfully. "Creation, how nice of you to join us."

Creation, still in the form of Tersan, rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I'm not here to join anything Tersan," he said exasperatingly. "All I can see here are the two of you wasting time."

"Well, it's rather fun when you take your time," Destruction said eagerly. "What would _you_ rather do?"

Creation glared at Destruction and raised a hand. "This," he said sharply, and snapped his finger.

Tornados of lightning suddenly crackled into existence all across the globe, tearing apart the crust of the planet very efficiently until the entire surface was nothing but molten material.

"That's all?" Destruction asked sarcastically.

"If you would shut your mouth and watch, you'll see," Creation shot back. Raising his arms, he brought his hands together with a forcible slap. Instantly, formations of land surfaced from the molten rock, creating continent. Waves of white light washed over the planet, converting the lava to water, complete with its vast variety of oceanic life.

More land appeared from beneath the water, taking the place of other continents around the world. Once all land was in place, flourishing green life suddenly broke out of the charred soil and grew rapidly into vast grassy plains and lush forests. Mountains exploded from what remained of the barren land, escalating high into the sky until their peaks became covered with frosty snow.

Creation waved his hand toward the ocean. Huge, voluminous clouds of vapor puffed from the vast oceans and formed great clouds all across the globe. Out of nowhere, ice started to form on the polar caps, creating ice caps over the poles. With a last second decision, Creation expanded the northern ice cap until it took up a fifth of the earth's surface.

Tersan took one glance at the massive continent of ice and directed his power at the crystalline city of Atlantis, the sole shell of a civilization left untouched by Creation, with the exception of Hogwarts and the fortress under it. With the equivalent of strength a child would exert on a feather, Tersan levitated the city from the former Atlantic Ocean and placed it onto the artic continent.

"Creative," Creation commented. "I wouldn't have thought of that."

Tersan shrugged. "I wanted it to be hard to get to."

"By whom?" Destruction inquired amusedly. "Muggles? Spellcasters have alternate forms of transportation you know."

"Of course I know," Tersan deadpanned. "That's why I'm placing a null magic zone around the entire city. Now anything magical, with the exception of us, must travel as muggles do."

"Ah."

"Speaking of which," Creation said, rubbing his chin. "I suppose I shall remain here to oversee the reconstruction of human society."

"Need my help?" Destruction offered. When Creation glared daggers at him, Destruction laughed and stepped back.

"Now then," said Tersan thoughtfully. "I suppose Harry will be quite alarmed by the sudden change in the world around him. But I hope he'll like it Let's go see him."

( 0 0 0 )

Alarmed was quite of an understatement. Harry was quite shocked into rage when Tersan told him what had happened to the world. It seemed that the young wizard had thought the transformation of the lands was just the area around the castle, not the entire world!

"Tersan, what did you do?" Harry gasped.

"Exactly what I was meant to do," Tersan answered calmly. "To decide whether the current world was worth keeping. If not, recreate it."

"You just killed billions of innocent human lives!" Harry screamed, his voice echoing in the empty Great Hall. He pushed Tersan back as hard as he could. "How could you?"

Startled by the unexpected move, Tersan stumbled back onto the floor. "Harry, what…?" Tersan started to say.

"I can't believe that you would do this," Harry whispered softly.

Tersan pulled himself to his feet, looking at Harry in despair.

"I wanted to protect you!" Tersan shouted. "I know how much you want to live peacefully in a normal life, so I went to create the world that you always wanted to live in!"

"Normal?" Harry looked at Tersan in astonishment. "How is this supposed to be normal? The world has been destroyed!"

"And remade better!" Tersan howled back, anger starting to enter his voice. "All flaws erased!"

Harry suppressed a scream of fury and growled through gritted teeth, "We, humanity, are not toys for you to break apart and rebuild in your image any way you wish."

"I never called you that!" Tersan shot back. "Can't you understand Harry? I had no choice."

"What are you talking about?" Harry retorted. "Everybody has a choice."

"What about the prophecy of you and Voldemort?" Tersan asked sharply. "You'd have no choice but to comply with it if I didn't kill him. Then how many more friends would have to die for you?"

"That was your choice to make!" Harry retorted. "It had nothing to do with me!"

"And Voldemort had the choice to live!" Tersan countered hotly. "But _I _made the choice of killing him, is that right?"

"Of course," Harry growled. "It's not like _I_…"

"Or was it because of the debt I owed you for releasing me from the chamber?" Tersan snarled. "Because I myself would normally leave your own choices to yourself!"

"So you don't care for my life?"

"I had a vow to uphold," Tersan said, his voice dangerously quiet. "But in the process of doing so, I was forced to activate an ancient law within my design, so fundamental that it would be impossible for me to defy."

"What? Genocide?" Harry snapped. "If you are that kind of a person, stay away from me! I'll have nothing to do with you!"

"Harry…"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Tersan stared at Harry in anguish for a moment, but it quickly disappeared.

"Seeing as you do not wish my presence or my services," Tersan said abruptly. "I wish to relinquish my vow. Do you accept?"

"Accept what?" Harry asked.

"Do you wish me to leave?"

Anger suddenly bubbled up again in Harry. "Yes. I do." And at that instant, he realized what he had done. "Wait! I – !"

But it was too late. Symbols of light appeared around Tersan for a few seconds, slowly orbiting his body.

"The vow be released," Tersan said solemnly. In a blinding explosion of light, the symbols exploded.

Harry stumbled back several steps, looking at Tersan in horror, who looked back at him curiously.

"I wonder…" Tersan muttered abruptly, drawing his wand. Faster than Harry could see, Tersan raised his wand up to his forehead like a salute and brought it down in a fast swish.

Agonizing pain suddenly ripped through Harry's arm, tracing his shoulder down to his hand. Harry cried out in pain and clutched his arm, dropping to his knees. Feeling a strange warm sensation, he raised his hand up to his face, stunned to see it drenched in blood. Tersan slashed upwards this time, creating another deep wound across Harry's right shoulder to his lower left leg.

"It would seem that the vow has been released," Tersan observed calmly as Harry screamed from yet another laceration.

Harry gasped in shock, turning his head up to look at Tersan. "Why…?" he whispered weakly through the pain.

"My name is Tersan Anthrias," Tersan declared, his voice icy cold and laced with iron. "I pass judgment upon you." Harry winced in anticipation, but Tersan continued. "You, Harry James Potter, hang in perfect balance of Good and Evil. For the ignorance and rejection of an entire recreated world given to you, I sentence you to resume your course of life with the exception of my presence and actions. Everything that I had done for you, will be reverted."

Lightning suddenly arced the sky outside the window as it turned black. Rain started to pound the massive windows as a storm appeared over the country. Without warning, six shadows were revealed when a bolt of lightning arced from the sky and struck the surface of the lake. As the light faded, Harry saw that the shadows belonged to Tersan's six avatars. Four of them he recognized, but the last two he realized to be Creation and Destruction.

"Sirius Black!" Tersan called. Harry turned around as the Great Hall doors rumbled open, and a confused Sirius walked into the room.

"I'm here. What'd you call me for…?" Sirius's words died at his lips as he caught sight of his godson on his knees clutching his bloody left arm. "What happened?" he roared, rushing to Harry's side. He never made it.

Gray light suddenly lit up in Sheredar's eyes as an aura of gray light surrounded Sirius, holding him effectively in place.

"Tersan!" Harry shouted hoarsely. "What are you doing?"

"The life of Sirius Black," Tersan continued, as though he didn't hear. "Was restored by the Avatar of the Dead, Sheredar. As an extension of me, Sheredar's action is counted as mine and will be reversed."

"No, please…!" Harry pleaded from the floor. He tried to pull himself onto his feet, but found himself overwhelmed with pain at his efforts. "Don't do this!"

"Sentence for Sirius Black passed," Tersan dictated, raising his voice. "He shall be sent back to the land of the dead."

Sheredar suddenly stepped forward and gestured with his hands. In the middle of the empty dark hall, a familiar crumbling stone archway materialized. Harry screamed helplessly from the floor as the struggling form of Sirius was clutched by Sheredar's outstretched and dragged toward the archway.

For one split second, Harry made eye contact with Sheredar. In that second, Harry dropped his Mindcraft shields and pleaded with all his might for the avatar to stop. Sheredar paused for a moment, looking at Harry sadly in the eyes. Just as Harry thought Sheredar was going to stop, the avatar broke eye contact and rushed toward the archway.

"NO! DON'T!" Harry screamed so hard that drops of blood flew out of his mouth. Sheredar didn't stop. Tersan's authority was supreme to the avatar.

Without a single backwards glance toward Sirius, Sheredar thrust him into the archway.

Lightning blazed around the stone structure as Sheredar withdrew his arm. Unperturbed by the fury of the power, Sheredar pointed a white gray wand at the arch was he stepped off the podium that supported, whispering in a wind-like language. The lightning increased in intensity and power, then unleashed itself, destroying the archway.

"SIRIUS!" Harry screamed. "SIRIUS! GET BACK HERE!" But his efforts were in vain. Sirius Black was dead.

"Alexander Evans."

Harry's head whipped around to face Tersan. "Don't you do anything to my cousin!" Harry growled dangerously.

"I'm going to take what I did back," Tersan corrected. "You may be confused now, but you'll understand when I carry it out."

"Tersan, you called?"

Harry was finally able to pull himself to his feet and turned around to face his cousin.

"Alex, get out of here!" Harry yelled. "Tersan's gone mad!" Alexander glanced at Harry in alarm and turned to Tersan in confusion. But before he was able to say anything, Tersan interrupted.

"Alexander Evans," Tersan repeated. "Your life was kept alive by the essence of the Avatar of the Living, Calsor. This action was by my order to keep himself whole through your bloodline. I rescind this order."

Lightning suddenly blazed from outside the castle, crashing through the window and struck the hapless eleven year-old in the neck. Alexander screamed as the energy coursed through his body, driving him to the floor in a bloody heap.

Alexander lay on the cold stone floor, gasping for breath as blood poured out of a gaping hole near his neck caused by the lightning bolt. As Harry watched in horror, his cousin's breathing started to slow.

"_Alex!"_ Harry cried hoarsely. Summoning what was left of his strength through his pain, he staggered over to his cousin's side and dropped to his side.

"What…" Alexander gasped. "Harry, what did you do…?"

"Alex," Harry whispered, his mind a blank as he searched for a healing spell. "Don't die!" Harry looked at his cousin's face as he tried to apologize for his inability to help, but his words died at his lips when the boy's breathing abruptly stopped.

"_Alex…?"_

"The primary components of the sentence has been carried out," Tersan concluded. "The key of infinity around your wrist will be returned to me, as well as the knowledge of spells that it has given you."

With a tingling sensation, the key vanished from Harry's wrist and appeared around the sleeve of Tersan's silver robe.

In another flash of thunderous light and noise, the avatars vanished, leaving only Tersan.

"For you," Tersan said. "You will resume your life as if I was never here. Just one exception: you retain your memories while your friends do not." Tersan reached out with his arm and gestured.

Harry was suddenly slammed violently back as though a car had driven into him at high speed and was thrown across the length of the entire hall until he collided painfully into the closed doors.

Tersan walked over to Alexander's body and drew his silver birch wand.

"Don't you dare!" Harry warned weakly, struggling to lift himself.

Giving Harry a bored glance, he flicked his wand at Alexander's body, turning it to dust that broke down into nothingness.

"I will be leaving now," said Tersan. "As you said for yourself, I have nothing further to do with you."

Blinding light suddenly exploded from Tersan's body, creating a torrent of magical wind that drove Harry into the door with so much pressure that Harry was pushed up to its middle and didn't come down. The force kept building up and building up…until it finally vanished into nothing.

Harry's eyes came partially open as he fell off of the door, catching a glimpse of an alarmed Great Hall as his bloody and battered body collapsed onto the floor. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the absence of Dumbledore and the presence of McGonagall in his seat at the teacher's table.

( 0 0 0 )

Fragments of images and snatches of conversations flew by at a rapid pace, making no coherent sense to Harry's disoriented mind. Slowly, the thoughts faded as he started to become aware of his strangely familiar surroundings.

"Oh…" Harry groaned, lying patiently for the pounding in his head to fade.

"Mr. Potter, you're finally awake," a far too familiar voice suddenly came from his side.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Harry muttered weakly. "Where am I?"

There was a sniffing sound. "Obviously the hospital wing, Mr. Potter. What have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"I…" Harry paused, finally sitting up in his bed. How was he going to explain his injuries to the nurse? "I'm not sure." Groping around on the side table, he found his glasses and put them on. Madam Pomfrey's concerned but stern expression came into focus in front of him. Harry groaned again and fell back onto the bed.

"How can you not be sure about what caused that injury to you?" came Pomfrey's unconvinced voice. "That was an extremely unusual type of injury caused by a spell that even Professor Flitwick couldn't figure out."

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you…" Harry muttered under his breath.

The door suddenly opened loudly as Professor McGonagall followed by Ron and Hermione entered.

"Harry!" Ron and Hermione shouted in unison. Together, they rushed to Harry's side despite the protest of the nurse.

"Ron! Hermione!" Harry breathed. "I'm glad to see you!"

"Blimey Harry," Ron exclaimed. "What was that in the Great Hall?"

"Ron!" Hermione said disapprovingly. "Harry, are you alright? Were you attacked?"

Harry sat up and tried to wave them off, to no avail. "Ron, Hermione, I'll tell you later," Harry said weakly. Looking past his friends, Harry faced McGonagall. "Professor, where's the headmaster?"

At that moment, Ron and Hermione fell silent, their expressions turning sad and angry.

"Headmaster Dumbledore," McGonagall whispered hoarsely. Harry was surprised to hear his professor's voice like that. "Was murdered by…_Snape_."

"Severus Snape?" Harry asked sharply.

Slowly, McGonagall nodded.

"No…" Harry whispered, shock coursing through him. "Dumbledore wouldn't be killed by someone like him. He's too strong!"

"That's what we all thought," Hermione said quietly. "Turns out that Snape was truly loyal to Voldemort."

"Wait," Harry interrupted. "Voldemort's alive?"

Ron glanced at Hermione uncertainly before turning to Harry.

"Harry, Voldemort's always been alive," Ron said, looked at Harry with apprehension. "You weren't hit with a memory charm, were you?"

"Of course not!" Harry protested, but slowly began to realize what Tersan had done. No one else remembered anything.

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall said firmly, regaining her composure. "Due to our loss of our headmaster, I have been appointed Headmistress by default of Hogwarts procedure. If you remember anything that lead to your injury, come to me directly." The headmistress turned and left, but not before turning back to give the nurse a nod.

"Well then," Pomfrey said after McGonagall's departure. "If you are feeling well enough Mr. Potter, you may leave."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Harry swung his legs over the side of the bed and dropped to the floor, stumbling slightly as his legs gave out for a split second. "Whoa…"

"Can you walk Harry?" asked Ron, pulling Harry back upright.

Harry nodded. "Just a bit dizzy mate," he reassured him.

Hermione though, placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, are you sure you are felling well?"

Suppressing a groan of exasperation, Harry nodded again. Typical Hermione.

"If you're leaving, get going," Pomfrey snapped impatiently. "I haven't got all day waiting for you!"

( 0 0 0 )

Ron and Hermione were staring at Harry incredulously after he finished telling them about what he remembered of their experiences with Tersan Anthrias and the judgment of the world.

"Harry, mate," Ron said slowly. "As much as I want to believe you, what you're saying just doesn't make any sense."

"Besides," Hermione added. "Hogwarts, A History, never mentioned anything about a Chamber of Isolation. Professor Binns himself also said that Atlantis was lost in a tragic magical accident and was revered throughout the world."

"Just as it never said anything useful about the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry retorted hotly, reaching the end of his patience. "And since when has Binns said anything useful anyway?"

"We didn't mean that Harry!" Ron said quickly. "It's just that what you're telling us is kinda hard to believe at the moment."

Harry took several deep breaths before dropping back down into the couch he was sitting on in the Gryffindor common room. "Sorry Ron. I'm just…tired," Harry apologized. "But I'm telling the truth."

"That you may Harry," said Hermione. "But it will take some time for us to actually believe that."

"I understand that," Harry said, forcing a small smile. "It's just that I can't believe Sirius is actually dead."

"And your cousin Alexander, right?" asked Ron.

Sighing deeply and sorrowfully to himself, Harry could only nod.

"Guys," Harry abruptly said. "Do you mind if I spend the rest of the night alone by myself here?"

Hermione glanced at Harry with concern and looked like she was going to refuse.

"Hermione," Ron whispered forcibly. "Let him be." The Gryffindor finally relented.

"Good night Harry," Hermione whispered softly before leaving Harry to himself.

Harry didn't respond from his seat next to his fireplace. He was busy thinking to himself.

'_What had gone wrong?'_ A single tear trickled down his cheek as the memory of his godfather and cousin's death returned with vivid clarity to him. Harry choked back a sob and forced his breathing to slow. Without the use of Mindcraft anymore, Harry couldn't control his emotions anymore. The side effect of that power though, left him with perfect Occlumency defenses and Legilimency offenses.

All of a sudden, a memory came to mind, shattering his painful emotions and brought forth an intense flare of hope.

"Hedwig!" Harry called hopefully into the air, searching for his phoenix companion.

Nothing appeared. Despair once again started to fill his heart as the last thing remaining from Tersan's power was also gone.

But then, he heard a song. A sound more beautiful than anything he had heard in his entire life. It was the song of a phoenix.

"Fawkes?" Harry breathed.

A flash of white fire appeared on his lap, depositing a snow-white phoenix onto his lap.

"Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed excitedly, joy surging through him in overwhelming torrents. A green colored note suddenly dropped out from under Hedwig's wing as Harry embraced his most loyal companion. Grasping the note, Harry turned it over and read the message with a small gasp.

_Thought you might need a friend for your journey._

_Calsor_

Overwhelming with delight, Harry stuffed the note into his pocket, placed Hedwig onto his arm, and shot to his feet.

"RON! HERMIONE!"


	24. The Servant

**A/N:** Another chapter done. I thank my reviewers:

-Blue Werewolf Boy-cellosrock753-bandgsecurtiyaw-GreenLeaf7-HarryGinny92-kira yamato-kirallie-Marikili68-Elise-

**Lordheaven:** You'll have to wait to find out. After all, I would spoil it if I told you, wouldn't I?

The Servant 

"Hedwig's…a…phoenix!" Ron blubbered for the fifth time. "You weren't mad after all…"

Hermione on the other hand, was looking at Harry apologetically.

"We're sorry we didn't believe you," she said softly. "It's just that…"

Harry raised his hand to silence her, as well as Ron. "Hermione, Ron, I understand. It would've been hard for you to accept what I was telling you earlier if I didn't have any form of proof."

"Proof?" Ron interrupted. "Your owl is a bloody phoenix!"

"Ron," Harry groaned. "Please."

"A phoenix…"

( 0 0 0 )

Lessons were no longer easy. Harry had discovered that he couldn't remember half the stuff his teachers were telling him, even from Remus in Defense Against the Dark Arts. In the end though, he finally agreed with Hermione that he had relied on the key for far too long.

"So I basically have to relearn everything again?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"It would appear so," Hermione replied as they walked across the lawn towards the lake from their final afternoon lesson. "Since you told us that Tersan removed everything the key had given you, even what you read yourself."

Harry groaned aloud, not paying attention to Ron when he slipped in a wet portion of the grass and fell.

"Not the scholarly type, are you?" Ron asked jokingly as he got back up to cover his embarrassment.

"You think?" Harry growled. Beside him, Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement.

"Nope," Ron said happily. "I know."

Harry glared at him with mock fury and tripped him.

"Harry!"

"Boys," Hermione muttered amusedly, shaking her head again. "Ah, we can sit down here." She gestured to a large tree near the edge of the lake.

"Cozy," Ron said as he glanced up the tree and then sat down.

"Harry," Hermione said suddenly. "Can you still warp?"

"I wish," Harry muttered.

Hermione gave him an inquisitive look. "But can't you remember doing it?"

"I remember _warping_," Harry grumbled. "But if I try to remember what to _do_ to warp, my mind is a blank."

"So all you know is that you used to be able to bend space to travel instantly from one place to another," Hermione observed. "You remember traveling, but just can't recall how to do it?"

"Well said Hermione," Harry agreed sarcastically. "At least I can Apparate…"

"You can Apparate?" Ron suddenly shouted. "How? Apparition classes start next month!"

"Oh," Harry blinked. "I had the time to play around with apparition while I was warping around. It's not a very pleasant experience…"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked curiously. "Does it hurt?"

Harry snorted. "It feels like you're being pressed from every direction, completely unable to move or breathe."

Hermione swallowed while Ron winced.

"Can you Apparate here on Hogwarts grounds like you could with warping?" Hermione finally asked. To her surprise, Harry laughed at her suggestion.

"I tried once," Harry admitted. "I bounced off of the wards and ended up somewhere in Iraq."

"You what?" Hermione and Ron shouted at the same time.

Harry stared at them both. "I ended up somewhere in Iraq…"

"How did you get back?" Hermione asked in a whisper.

"I warped."

"Eh…" Ron glanced away in embarrassment.

"Hey, what's that?" Hermione called suddenly. "Out in the lake."

Harry glanced up toward where she was looking toward and stiffened. There was a pinprick of light flickering far out in the middle of the lake several meters above the water.

"Harry, did you do that?" Hermione asked, standing aside as Harry straightened.

"It's not me," said Harry. "It looks familiar somehow…"

Suddenly, a faint bloodcurdling scream of agonizing pain came from the flickering light.

"There's someone in there!" Harry shouted, springing to his feet. "We've got to get him out!"

"Harry!" Hermione protested, chasing after him as he ran toward the lake. "Be careful!"

But before Harry could even touch the water, the light flared intensely and vanished. Harry hadn't noticed when he brought his arms up to protect his eyes, but Ron suddenly shouted in alarm.

"Harry, a body fell out of the light!"

Harry whipped his arm down and snapped his eyes out toward the lake, searching intently for the fallen body. There, thrashing weakly in the water, he saw the person in what appeared to be red colored robes.

"Hang on!" Harry shouted, drawing out his wand. _"Accio!"_

Slowly, the person started to head toward him, rising out of the water.

"Hey…" Hermione started. "Harry, he kinda looks like you…"

Harry nearly lost control of the spell when he caught sight of the person himself. It was a kid actually, like an eleven year-old version of himself.

"Who the…" Harry voiced aloud as the boy came closer. "Oh Merlin…Hermione!"

The moment the boy came close enough for a detailed look, Harry realized that the redness on the boy's clothing wasn't its natural coloring, but blood that was flowing rapidly from a gaping wound on this chest.

"Get him to the hospital wing!" Hermione shrieked, placing the bloody boy under her own spell and sprinted toward the hospital with Harry and Ron in tow.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry stood outside the curtained bed in hospital wing next to Ron and Hermione as they waited anxiously for Madam Pomfrey to tell them the boy's condition.

"Glad the school was empty at the moment," Ron murmured.

"How can you be thinking about that?" Hermione asked incredulously. "Did you even see that wound on his chest?"

"Hermione," Harry said quietly. "Not too loud. Madam Pomfrey needs to work with her full concentration. And yes, I saw it." They fell silent immediately.

Nearly an hour later, the nurse finally vanished the curtains and faced the trio tiredly.

"I can tell you this," said Pomfrey. "He was hit with something similar to what injured Mr. Potter, although more powerful, judging from the depth and extent of the wound. If you had brought him any later…" She left the sentence unfinished.

Harry swallowed. "So is he going to be fine?"

"Of course he is," Pomfrey said firmly. "Otherwise I'd still be working." She glanced at the students. "Do you have any idea how he got here and who he is?"

Harry shook his head. "We don't know anymore than you do. Just how he appeared."

Pomfrey looked at Harry questioningly before sighing with exhaustion. "You should be getting back to your classes if you have any. No? Then you can stay here while I inform the headmistress and then take a well deserved rest!"

Hermione gave their thanks and then conjured some seats for themselves as they sat down next to the boy's still body, whose clothing was devoid of blood. Minutes passed in silence, until the boy finally stirred and awoke.

Hermione was the first to stand and approach the boy, who turned a pair of weary but cautious eyes toward them.

"My name's Hermione," she said. "You're safe here in Hogwarts. What's your name?"

The boy stared at her for a few moments before answering in a language she had never heard before.

"_Tos d' nor? Asul ta mey'na?"_

Hermione stared at the boy, baffled. "Um…what did you say?" Confused, she turned to Harry. "Do you know what he's saying?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm as clueless as you are."

Dejected, Hermione turned back toward the boy. "Can you speak English?"

"_Sanzey tura, hai'ye nos…vestar yun ne?" _the boy asked again. Looking at Hermione hopelessly, the boy propped himself onto his elbows and looked at Harry and Ron.

"Oh…" Harry muttered uncertainly as he stood up. Hermione moved aside to give him space.

"Um…" Harry stared at the boy, who looked back up at him curiously. "My name's Harry." He gestured to himself. "You are?"

The boy stared at him for a few seconds before his eyes lit up with understanding. Sitting up fully, the boy pointed at Harry. _"Tos d' Harry?" _he asked. _"Harry?"_

Harry nodded, gesturing to himself. "Yes. I'm Harry."

"_Hermione?" _the boy said, pointing at Hermione, who smiled and nodded.

"_Etara selae akutenoa…" _the boy whispered, seemingly to himself. Abruptly, a smile came onto his face and he pointed to himself proudly.

"_Kyp Anthrias."_

( 0 0 0 )

"What the bloody hell…" Ron said for the seventh time that evening in the Room of Requirements. "He can't be…"

"Ron," Harry whispered, sitting further into the overstuffed couch the room had provided. "Do you have to keep repeating yourself?"

"It shouldn't be possible," Hermione pressed, looking towards Harry. "Tersan himself said that Kyp was struck down by governor, Izual was it?"

Harry sighed. "I don't know Hermione. Things are just becoming more and more messed up. First Tersan leaves, then his servant appears…"

"Kinda makes you think he's toying around with you huh?" Hermione sighed. "But according to you, Tersan doesn't seem to have that sort of a personality."

"How am I supposed to know?" Harry asked angrily. "He killed Sirius and Alex! Do you think I would care much about him right now?"

"Harry!" Hermione said quickly. "I didn't mean to bring him up!"

But Harry waved off Hermione's apology. "It was my fault," said Harry. "I shouldn't have lost my temper."

"It's human," Hermione tried to reassure him.

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "And it cost me my godfather _again_ and my cousin. Personally, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm actually awake."

"Oh you're awake alright," Hermione said confidently.

"Oh yeah?" Harry asked, looking at Hermione curiously. "How can you be so sure?"

"Would you like me to pinch you?"

"Go ahead – Ow! Not that hard!" Harry protested. "Alright, alright. I'm awake."

( 0 0 0 )

"That's quite an interesting story Potter," McGonagall said to Harry when he finished explained the presence of Kyp Anthrias at their school. "But I find that hard to accept, even with your phoenix."

Harry sighed. "Headmistress, if I could get Kyp to speak English, then you can ask him yourself."

"Have you ever thought of using a translation charm Potter?"

"We've already tried that," Harry said. "The spell simply buzzed in error."

"Well," said McGonagall, "Then he must not be speaking a real language."

"What if it's forgotten?" Harry asked. "The book also said that if the language is further than seven thousand years back, the spell wouldn't be able to translate."

"Yes," McGonagall recalled. "You did tell me that Tersan came from Atlantis over seven hundred thousand years ago. The spell would be completely useless then, unless you have an Atlantian translation charm."

"I _had_ the knowledge," Harry grumbled. "So we're stuck like this forever?"

"Not necessarily forever," said McGonagall. "You can start by teaching him some English yourself."

"Come to think of it," Harry said suddenly. "I wonder if Kyp knows any translation charms."

McGonagall simply looked at him thoughtfully. "Why don't you go find out?"

( 0 0 0 )

Harry stood outside the hospital wing doors, uncertain about how to voice his question. Kyp didn't seem to be able to understand English anyway.

"If you're going to ask a question like that," he thought aloud, "how are you supposed to give the meaning?"

Miming seemed out of the question. Their cultures may even be so far different that neither could understand one another.

Harry sighed in defeat. He'd just go in and do the best he can. Taking a deep breath, Harry pushed open the doors and strode toward Kyp's bed. To his unexpected surprise, he found that the boy was apparently fast asleep.

"Kyp?" Harry whispered, not wishing to forcibly wake the boy. "Are you awake?"

The sleeping boy stirred and opened his eyes, smiling when he recognized Harry in front of him.

"_Harry, taria aruuntey gaisoss!" _Kyp called happily, sitting up.

"Can you speak English?" Harry asked, trying to probe his mind using Legilimency. Unsurprisingly, he found an immensely powerful mental barrier in place preventing his entry.

Abruptly, Kyp fell back onto the bed laughing and replied in perfect British English, "Of course I can understand you!"

Harry stared. "You can what?"

Kyp sat back up and chuckled at Harry's expression. "I could understand you the moment I looked into your eyes. Whatever mental shielding you have, it's like air to light."

"So you…?" Harry gaped.

"I understood everything you and your friends were saying the moment I woke up," Kyp replied, grinning broadly. "But don't worry, I didn't look any further into your mind. Your memories are your own."

"Kyp," Harry started. "I thought Tersan said that the governors killed you…"

"TERSAN!" Kyp's sudden anxious shout was powerful enough to shake every window in the hospital wing and the room itself. His warm friendly eyes suddenly became fearful but cold. "What do you know about him?"

"Hold on!" Harry protested. "I've known Tersan for the past half year…"

Kyp jumped out of his bed and made for the door, but Harry quickly grabbed his arm.

"Let go of me!"

"Kyp!" Harry shouted, causing the boy to turn toward him, despite his anxiety. "Tersan left already."

"What are you talking about?" Kyp demanded, throwing off Harry's arm. "You mean he was here?"

Harry sighed. "Kyp, it's going to take too long to explain, so maybe it would be easier if you simply took it directly from my mind."

"That would be a violation of your privacy!" Kyp objected. "I can't do that!"

"I give you my permission then," Harry said calmly.

Looking at his hands reluctantly for a moment, Kyp looked into Harry's eyes and searched. Seconds later, Kyp pulled out of Harry's mind, looking at the teen sadly.

"I had no idea that your life was so sad," he said softly. "But you do not know what you have done to end up here do you?"

"What do you mean I don't know?" Harry asked, confused. "Did I do something wrong?"

Kyp laughed dryly. "You clearly have no idea…"

"What are you talking about?"

"You rejected him," Kyp replied simply. "You shunted him aside when he tried to make your life happier."

"I did what?" Harry asked incredulously. "All I did was to tell him to…oh no."

"Understand now?" Kyp gazed at Harry with an unnerving impression of incredible commanding power. "He simply wanted to help you Harry."

"And I was too proud…" Harry growled, but the anger was directed toward himself. "Do you really think I have the hero complex Hermione mentioned?"

Kyp blinked in surprise at Harry's question. "I'm not really sure. Probably though."

"By the way," said Harry, eyeing Kyp curiously. "Are you telling Madam Pomfrey that you can speak English now and are feeling well enough to leave?"

"Actually," said Kyp. "No, I haven't."

"Then shouldn't you…?"

Kyp shook his head playfully. "Nah. You can do that while I walk out of here."

"I'm not going to…hey come back here!" Harry protested, but Kyp was already out the door. "Oh great."

( 0 0 0 )

Harry found Kyp sitting in the highest hoop at one side of the Quidditch field after combing the entire Hogwarts grounds. Realizing that he could no longer warp or Apparate on Hogwarts grounds, Harry summoned his Firebolt from his dormitory and flew up toward Kyp.

"How did you get up here?" asked Harry as he became level with Kyp. "Did you fly up here?"

Kyp laughed. "Nope. I jumped."

"Jumped," Harry repeated.

Shrugging, Kyp slipped off the hoop and dropped, falling straight down the entire length of the pole and landed lightly on his feet. Before Harry could even follow him down, Kyp bent his knees slightly and jumped, launching upwards rapidly towards the hoop, landing in it on his feet.

"See?" Kyp said, sitting back down. "No brooms required."

Harry stared at Kyp in amazement. "How…?"

But Kyp shook his head at Harry's impending question. "I'm afraid that this skill is something that has to be learnt, not given."

"Can you teach it to me?" Harry asked eagerly.

"Only if you can explain why you look exactly like me, except older."

Harry paused. "I'm afraid that I don't have answer."

"Didn't think so," Kyp said casually. "I was joking anyway. Of course I'll teach you. Sit down next to me and I'll explain."

( 0 0 0 )

Tersan moved unimpeded through the violent and dangerous corridor of time, traveling far into the past of the earth. Far into his own past.

Temporal energies threatened to tear him apart for traveling through them, but the power flowing through the Weapon of Atlantis was more than enough to keep it at bay. It was capable of tearing it a passage through them. Countless images flashed by them as their journey went further and further back up the stream of time. Naturally, fighting against the flow of time was extraordinarily difficult, making movement toward past events strictly limited to mere hours to a few days.

These rules were useless compared to the sheer power possessed by Tersan's body, who was intent on finding out the reason of Harry's similarity to Kyp. Tersan himself didn't understand why he was so interested in finding out, but he knew that something good would result form his actions.

A nearly indistinguishable speck of light caught his attention Tersan narrowed his eyes and veered toward it. The speck grew in size as Tersan neared it until it expanded to the width of the height of Hogwarts. Tersan stopped a split second before he entered the light, causing his avatars to glance at him curiously.

Frowning, Tersan braced himself as he reentered normal reality seven hundred thousand years into the past.

( 0 0 0 )

With unnatural speed, the sunny blue afternoon sky turned black as clouds materialized out of nowhere, sending thunderous bolts of lightning toward the ground.

"What the?" Harry breathed, snapping his head up toward the sky. Next to him, Kyp stiffened in alarm.

"Time…" he whispered in shock. "Time has been derailed…"

"Kyp," Harry cried urgently. "What's going on?"

"Back to the castle!" Kyp suddenly shouted, jumping to his feet. Grasping Harry's wrist, Kyp bent his knees and launched them high into the air, over the entire Quidditch pitch past the forest, finally landing in front of Hogwarts' main doors.

"Inside!" Kyp ordered. Harry complied without hesitation at Kyp's authority and thrust the doors open.

"Before we go anywhere else," Harry said quickly, panting for breath. "Will you tell me what this is all about?"

Kyp opened his mouth to answer, and a deafening explosion of sound drowned out his words as the roof of the Entrance Hall shattered from a lightning blast.

Harry cried out in alarm and tried to dive out of the way, but tripped over a fissure that suddenly opened in the stone floor. Feeling a strong hand grasp the back of his shirt, Harry could barely register himself being thrown aside until he landed painfully in a heap several meters away.

"Kyp!" Harry shouted as he pulled himself back up, searching desperately around for the boy. "Kyp! Where are you?"

"Harry!" Kyp's faint cry came from within a pile of rubble, his voice strained with pain. "I'm over here!"

"Kyp!" Harry shouted again. "Hang on!"

"Hurry!" Kyp cried desperately, his voice breaking.

"I'm here!" Harry yelled, throwing chunks of heavy stones from a pile of weakly shifting rock. "Kyp, hang on!"

The moment Harry pulled aside the rock covering Kyp's upper body, he gasped in horror. "Oh Merlin!"

Blood was streaming from a deep gash on the boy's head at first glance, but as Harry looked down, he began to see the full extent of the injuries. Kyp's entire left leg was lost beneath a jagged piece of rock, as was his right arm that was completely mangled from another boulder-sized rock that bounced off of it. But what caused his breath to choke in his throat was the corner of a coffin-sized slab of stone imbedded in half his torso. It appeared that it had torn into his body as it fell from the roof.

"Harry!" a faint voice called from behind him.

Turning around for a moment, Harry caught a glimpse of several professors. "Help me get him out of here!" Harry shouted frantically. "He's trapped under!"

Wordlessly, the professors drew their wands and levitated the rocks away, revealing Kyp's entire contorted body.

"Oh Merlin!" Harry whispered, looking down at his still form. "Don't die on me Kyp!" To his utter gratitude, Kyp's eyes opened and blinked in acknowledgement. Another thunderous boom exploded, severely shaking the hall.

"Quickly!" a squeaky voice cried urgently. "Get him to hospital wing!"

Nodding weakly, Harry stepped aside for the professors to get to work. Harry flinched forcibly as Kyp released a howling scream when the stones were lifted from his body. But the scream cut off into a growl as Kyp gritted his teeth in his demonstration of his will's strength that Harry would have envied if the situation were different.

"Mr. Potter!" the squeaky voice said. Faintly, Harry realized that the voice belonged to his Charms professor. "Come along with us."

Numbly, Harry followed the running professors toward the hospital wing.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked wearily from a heavily bandaged student as they entered. "Another student injured?" Then she caught sight of him. "Oh dear…" Moving with a sudden burst of energy, Pomfrey conjured another bed with a flick of her wand. "Place him right here. I'll be right back."

The professors left quickly to search for other students, leaving Harry alone in the nearly over packed room.

"Oh Kyp!" Harry whispered, moving to his side. "I'm so sorry!"

"There's nothing to apologize for," Kyp admonished weakly, giving him a feeble smile. "It was an accident."

Harry shook his head furiously. "You could have died!"

"Not to worry," Kyp said softly. "I have you to watch over me"

Before Harry could answer, Pomfrey appeared from behind him and gently pushed him aside.

"I know you're trying to comfort him Mr. Potter," Pomfrey said kindly. "But now it's my turn to comfort him by healing him."

( 0 0 0)

Sunlight became visible the moment Tersan exited the light and found himself hovering miles over a battlefield that encompassed half the world. Inwardly, Tersan smiled, for he had returned to the famous war fought between Atlantis and the world.

Separated from reality with all but a single percent, Tersan was essentially invisible from the rest of the world.

"Tersan?" Creation called from his side. "Might I ask you the purpose of traveling here?"

"Something calls me…" Tersan replied, concentrating his gaze on a distant figure that was standing the edge of a cliff overlooking a massive white colored army. "…and tells me that there is a important answer here."

"Exactly here during the war?" Creation asked sharply.

Slightly startled by the question, Tersan turned to his avatar and smiled. "No actually. I must go all the way back to the beginning before the war."

"Off we go then!" Destruction crowed eagerly. "I'd personally like to see your kid self."

"Excuse me?" Tersan asked sternly. Destruction continued smiling as Tersan also smiled and shook his head in exasperation.

"Avatars…" he muttered under his breath, opening another gateway into the river of time.

"I heard that!" the avatars said in unison.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry watched Madam Pomfrey give Kyp the last of the instructions of his daily supplements of potions as he sat next to the bed. He was trying hard not to laugh at Kyp's expression as Pomfrey handed him a tray of potions that she was levitating.

Finally at what seemed to be an hour, though actually a mere five minutes, Pomfrey left the boy with the tray of potions.

"Now I know exactly how you feel," Kyp groaned as he stared at the numerous bottles. "Her potions, though effective at doing their job, are infamous for their…_taste_."

Harry laughed at Kyp's complaints, but the action was strained.

"Are you going to be alright?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Of course I will," Kyp replied cheerfully, returning Harry a genuine smile, allowing him to relax. "With such a good nurse, or matron as she insists on, I'll be perfectly fine."

"That's good to know," Harry said gratefully, sighing in content. Glancing around, Harry cast a rudimentary Silencing Charm with his wand and leaned in close to Kyp. "Is it safe to talk without people hearing?"

Kyp gave Harry an amused look. "It's safe. Your charm is strong enough to block an ordinary conversation, as long as you don't decide to shout or scream."

"Oh good." Harry turned his seat so he was facing Kyp. "A question." The castle rocked from another blast of lightning. "What the bloody hell is going on outside?"

"Well," Kyp replied, scratching the back of his head. "To put it in simple words, the flow of time has been kicked off its tracks."

Harry stared. "Huh?"

"In other words, timelines are crossing."


	25. Timelines

A/N: Finally completed! Thank you all my readers for waiting patiently. I'm afraid that because it is nearly three in the morning, I cannot answer any reviews right now. I don't even know why I answer them after I write the chapter and not before. 

Anyway, here it is. Do review please!

Timelines 

Sunlight streamed grandly from a great hole in the clouds above a broad field of grass, creating a spot of light that encompassed a small village. Within the series of huts and tents, children and adults alike were laughing and dancing around a bonfire. They seemed to be celebrating a festival as large platters of various foods were passed between the tables around the fire. Occasionally, a child or an adult would stand and loudly say something, and everybody else would erupt in laughter.

Unnoticed by the partying villagers, three figures appeared far outside the settlement in a flash of light. Quickly, though, one of the blue clad figures raised a palm and released a spark of red light into the air, catching the villagers' attention. The center of the three strode forward and approached the single elderly person that came out of the village.

Words were exchanged for a few minutes until the elder turned to the gathered crowd and called a name. A young boy about the age of nine dressed in a simply cloth nervously stepped out of the crowd and moved toward the elder. The blue robed figure looked at the boy for a moment and then turned around to wave at his companions. In a similar flash of light when they arrived, the other two appeared next to the boy, each one on either side.

The first figure said a few more things to the elder and turned away from the village, his companions following along with the boy between them. Abruptly, a woman broke from the villagers crying and ran to the boy, clutching him tightly. Patiently, the leading figure turned and looked down toward the woman, who appeared to be the boy's mother. Quietly, the figure spoke to the woman in warm tones.

The words seemed to have the desired effect as the woman stopped crying and looked up toward the figure with wonder, then in recognition. Laughing with joy, the woman clutched her son once more and bowed to the figure in gratitude. Raising her hand, she waved at her son, who waved back and shouted words of farewell until the three figures with her son vanished in another flash of light.

( 0 0 0 )

Unknown to the villagers or robed figures, Tersan watched the encounter curiously from within the hole in the cloud.

"From the outskirts into the capital," Tersan mused, "never knowing what was to happen to me."

"Why would you?" Destruction asked sarcastically. "You're nine, living in a village that can't tell…"

"Enough," Tersan said sharply. "Let us proceed."

( 0 0 0 )

"What is your name?"

The boy glanced up at the wizen old mad sitting a level above him. He was in a circular room a level below a circular formation of throne-like chairs. Beyond the first row, were countless more white robed men, each circle higher than the first. And in each chair sat a similar aged man, though the one who just spoke seemed to be the oldest.

Directly in front of him nearly ten levels higher was an extended platform with an empty throne chair grander than any other in the chamber. There was no roof, for the entire area was open to the sky.

The boy had an unsettling impression that he was in a massive coliseum.

"M-my name?" he asked nervously.

"Of course your name!" one of the old man snapped impatiently in his raspy voice. "Are you deaf or are you dumb?"

"Governor Kilan," the first old man said coldly. "It is I who is addressing the boy. Do not interrupt me."

Grumbling, Kilan fell subdued, but kept a pair of irritated eyes on the boy.

"Now then," the man said. "I am Governor Aveyar. What is your name?"

"Tanius Acrin," the boy answered quietly. "P-pleased to meet you."

Murmurs were passed between the other governors, but Aveyar kept his soft gaze on Tanius.

"You are presented here before us in the Citadel of Magic with the purpose to determine your usefulness in direct service to the governors," said Aveyar. "We, the Governors of Atlantis, ask you a solemn request." Every governor in the citadel stiffened in attention and focused respectable gazes toward Tanius, even Kilan.

"Yes?" Tanius asked, looking uneasily around the chamber.

"Do you devote your service to the Citadel of Magic and the people of Atlantis?"

Thoughts coursed through the boy's mind. What were they going to do with him? Was he supposed to run errands or something? Taking a look at the sea of expectant eyes looking toward him, Tanius could only say one thing.

"Yes, I do," Tanius stated with pure conviction. White light erupted from the ground under Tanius like a geyser, jetting up towards the open sky like a pillar of magical fire. Astonished by the incredible display of power, Tanius could only shield his eyes from the intense glare and look at the sky as it started to turn dark.

"Welcome to our service," a strong new voice said. Squinting, Tanius saw that the elevated throne was now occupied by a powerful looking ancient mage whose eyes were glowing along with the column of light.

"From this day forward," the mage said, his voice echoing commandingly around the citadel.

"You will be known as Tersan Anthrias: the Weapon of Atlantis."

With these words, the world around Tanius Acrin as he understood it changed completely. Reality became unreality. The impossible became possible. The incomprehensible became easily understood.

Abruptly, every governor in the citadel stood and closed their eyes in a unified, silent chant.

Magic poured from the governors like mists of vaporous magic and surged into Tanius's young body, causing it to jerk uncontrollably as every kind of magical power possible from the thousands of gathered governors entered him. Knowledge from every corner of the world as well as from other governors from alternate realities all poured forth their knowledge and power into this sole embodiment of all their power.

Slowly, Tanius's body started rising up the column of light and into the sky as more and more power was forced into his body and being. The sun became a mere pinprick of light as all magical power pulled every other form of natural and unnatural energy into the body of the greatest focus of power ever created.

The gathering of power to that single point became so strong that space itself started to fracture from the strain of containing something that was starting to exceed what the known planes of reality were designed to hold.

Then, the eyes of Tersan Anthrias snapped open.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the pair of silver eyes took in the world with a new perspective. Curiosity appeared in the eyes as they turned to look at the stream of power under its body.

In the midst of coursing magic, a nearly unnoticeable voice spoke in his mind. Without warning, the boy blinked once and released his power.

( 0 0 0 )

"This had better work," Governor Izual said softly to himself. "The last chance for our survival," he added with a hint of sadness. "I do sense though, a tragic end to our kind."

"Governor Izual, is something the matter?"

Izual turned and glanced down to a young looking governor below him. "Nothing is the matter Governor Kene."

Sighing to himself, Izual leaned back and muttered, "I fear that the creation of Tersan Anthrias will lead to our destruction rather than our salvation in this foolish war. Perhaps I should have left him the way he was."

"It is far too late for that," a sorrowful female voice whispered from behind him. "I did advise you against it after all."

"Gaia…" Izual closed his eyes. Days passed in seconds as he channeled power into the boy. "Why are you here?"

"To watch as you bring the strongest magical entity into existence, that's what."

Groaning, Izual opened his eyes again, looking at the sky as Tersan ceased his shining and started to lower himself to the ground. "If I only didn't start expanding Atlantis in the first place…" he sighed again, "we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Your own war turned against you?" Gaia asked casually, sounding a bit amused. "It's happened before you know."

"It's not that," Izual said hesitantly. "I just don't wish to lose control of him."

"Affection?"

"No." Izual shook his head. "Fact. Inwardly, Tersan is still Tanius, a child. I cannot allow him to take place in this war just with his power. That's why his emotions have been suppressed. If those blocks ever happen to break during any time in the war, he may lose control."

Gaia was silent as she came to the same conclusion as the governor.

"The consequences…" Izual trailed off as he stood up the moment Tersan's feet touched the floor. "Will be devastating beyond comprehension."

( 0 0 0 )

Unknown to the governors of Atlantis or Mother Nature herself, the present Tersan Anthrias was watching Izual in a new light.

"I understand now," Tersan said darkly to Izual, though he knew he couldn't hear him. "You killed Kyp for the safety of your people." Tersan frowned. "But instead, you triggered the very event you endeavored to prevent."

"Ironic isn't it? Every time humanity tries to prevent what it fears by destroying it, they end up causing it."

Tersan smiled softly.

"Governor Izual, I forgive you, although you could have simply told me to have avoided the incident. May Kyp's soul rest in peace."

( 0 0 0 )

"Timelines Kyp?" Harry asked blankly.

"Events will cross over," replied Kyp. "You will most likely see yourself wandering around in various states of age. Try not to do anything severe, such as changing your past."

"Why would I do that?"

Kyp shrugged. "I have no idea. Probably catch Wormtail if your third year timeline ever happens to cross. Just be careful of one thing."

"What?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Don't get seen by the founders."

Harry opened his mouth to ask another question and promptly vanished into thin air.

Kyp stared at where Harry was a moment ago, shock flickering across his face.

"I was wrong…" he gaped. "The events are not just crossing, but so are people." Kyp slapped himself on the head as he groaned incomprehensible words.

"Harry won't be seeing himself," Kyp grumbled to empty air. "He will be crossing _into_ himself, most likely find himself in awkward situations throughout his life." He paused.

"OH GREAT."

( 0 0 0 )

Harry found himself standing on a long golden stage wielding his wand at Malfoy who stood on the opposite end.

"Wands at the ready!" a strangely familiar voice shouted. "Face your opponent and bow!"

With an alarming jolt, Harry realized that he had crossed into his second year timeline into the exact day when his former professor Gilderoy Lockhart opened the dueling club. He was facing Malfoy.

"Three…two…one…go!" Lockhart shouted.

Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, _"Serpensortia!"_

"You're joking…" Harry muttered as he used the disarming charm on the snake, causing the upper length of its body to burst apart from the force of the spell. "Oops…"

According to his memory, this would have been the time he accidentally revealed his trait as a Parselmouth. By blowing the snake apart, it didn't happen.

"Gruesome Potter," Malfoy drawled. "But…"

Harry didn't even bother to let Malfoy finish as he cast the disarming charm again so quickly that the Slytherin was blasted off the stage in mid-word.

Time shift… 

Excruciating pain exploded in Harry's arm as the basilisk's fang plunged deep into his arm. Suppressing a gasp of agony, Harry wrenched his arm from the fang and withdrew Gryffindor's sword from the roof the basilisk's mouth.

"Bloody…!" Harry growled, clutching his burning arm. "Fawkes…?"

The phoenix flew over at once and cried tears over Harry's wound, healing it, dropping a book into his lap at the same time.

"Get way bird," the memory Riddle said loudly, pointing Harry's wand at the phoenix. There was a loud bang and Fawkes vanished in a flurry of red gold feathers.

Acting directly from memory, Harry grasped the book and the severed fang.

History repeated itself. Harry plunged the fang into the diary, burning a hole through the book with the basilisk venom.

"Harry?" a weak voice called out.

Turning around instinctively, Harry turned around and sighed with relief when he caught sight of the three-year younger Ginny Weasley wake up.

_Time shift…_

The Hungarian Horntail reared its head back and blew forth a jet of flames toward Harry's flying broomstick.

Harry screamed in frustration more than shock as he realized where he had shifted. Of all the places, he had to be tossed here.

Growling in irritation, Harry pulled out of his dive expertly while relying on his memory of the first task. Remembering that the dragon would swing its tail toward him, Harry threw his broom in a tight arc around the tail the moment he saw the tip, causing the crowd to roar in admiration at his flying.

"Almost there…" Harry whispered to himself as he changed course again toward the dragon's feet, where the eggs were located. Without warning, the horntail brought its tail down fast and hard to strike him, catching Harry off guard.

Thinking fast, Harry leapt off his broom, flipping his body over the tail as it passed between him and the broom. As his body rotated in the air, his broom continued on flying until the tail passed from under him, allowing him to land back onto the broom.

The crowd screamed in amazement at the feat and leapt to its feet as Harry flew from the dragon's feet; the golden egg clutched safely in his uninjured arms.

"DID YOU SEE THAT? OUR YOUNGEST CHAMPION IS THE QUICKEST TO GET HIS EGG, BUT ALSO WITHOUT A SINGLE SCRATCH ON HIM!" Ludo Bagman was shouting. "AND THAT WAS QUITE SOME ACROBATS AT THE LAST BIT!"

Harry gasped deeply for breath as he landed, delight soaring through him. He had redone the first task even better than his first time. A sudden thought occurred to him as he Ron approached him looking rather apologetic.

What would happen back in his present time?

Just as Harry's face broke out into a smile to welcome Ron's presence, the view changed again…

"Did anyone tell you the cup was a Portkey?"

Harry whipped his head around in sudden horror as he recognized the voice. Cedric Diggory.

"Not this time," Harry growled furiously. "Cedric, we don't belong here!"

"Harry?" Cedric asked, startled.

"We're leaving," Harry said tightly. "Now." Grasping Cedric's wrist, Harry pointed his wand behind him and shouted, _"Accio Portkey!"_

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!" _ Wormtail's roared from the darkness.

But the Portkey was already in Harry's hand…

The maze came into view as Harry landed perfectly onto the grassy floor, unlike Cedric who crashed with a yelp of pain.

"DUMBLEDORE!" Harry shouted, sending red gold sparks into the air. "Professor Dumbledore!"

"What are you screaming about Potter?" a familiar voice growled. "I'm here."

Gripping his wand tightly, Harry turned around and faced Moody.

"Good evening Barty Crouch," Harry said calmly, easing into a dueling stance taught by Remus in his Defense against Dark Arts class.

The imposter Moody's single good eye widened.

"Considering that your eye widened in alarm at my awareness of your true identity," Harry said, "it would appear that you are in some serious trouble now."

"How did you…?" Crouch gasped, but it quickly turned into anger. "It doesn't matter. I won't be taken down by the likes of you! _Avada Kedavra_!"

Harry simply sidestepped the spell with his seeker reflexes while pushing a stunned Cedric to the floor and returned with several nonverbal curses.

Considering that Crouch was also a Death Eater next to being an imposter, he was not fazed by the curses and simply deflected them aside.

"When did you learn this Potter?" Crouch growled through Moody's visage. "I most certainly didn't teach you this."

"Let's just say," said Harry. "I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

Crouch sent a powerful exploding curse at Harry, who had to dodge aside.

"You cannot defeat me, Harry Potter," Crouch chuckled malevolently. "A mere fourth year doesn't even have the necessary skill to defeat a sixth year, let alone a Death Eater of the Dark Lord."

"I know that," Harry admitted, sending more curses toward the Death Eater. Crouch sent more back while easily deflecting Harry's. "But I can hold you off."

"Until when?" Crouch drawled. "You won't survive long e –"

"STUPEFY!" a voice roared. A stunning spell shot out of nowhere and nailed Crouch squarely in the back. When the Death Eater fell to the ground, Cedric Diggory was revealed standing with his wand raised, breathing heavily, eyes wide in fear.

"Harry," Cedric panted. "What was that?"

"Barty Crouch…" Harry said. "He's got the real Professor Moody locked up somewhere."

A rustling in the bushy maze signaled the entrance of the Headmaster.

"Harry," Dumbledore said in astonishment, looking at the fallen Moody. "What happened here? Did you attack Professor Moody?"

Harry stared at Dumbledore, not realizing how much that he missed the professor's presence.

"Professor Dumbledore…" Harry whispered.

"Harry?" Cedric asked uncertainly, looking at Harry concernedly.

"Oh god…" Harry took a step backwards. "What have I done? Cedric's alive…Voldemort didn't return…"

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked this time. "Are you feeling alright?"

Pulling himself back together, Harry gave Dumbledore an intent look.

"The one that lies on the ground is not Moody," Harry said breathlessly. "But Barty Crouch Junior. Just wait for the Polyjuice to wear off…"

Before anyone could answer, an irresistible force seized him and everything went white.

( 0 0 0 )

"Harry?" Kyp's voice called from somewhere in the whiteness. "Can you see me?"

"Kyp?" Harry shouted in relief. "You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice again!" His voice echoes strangely in the void. "Where is this place?"

"It's rather difficult to explain!" Kyp's voice yelled back. "Considering this place isn't really a place at all. Can you follow the line on the ground?"

It was difficult to make out anything in the haze, but Harry caught sight of a single black line weaving across the ground.

"See it?"

"Yeah!" Harry yelled. "I'm following it."

"Try not to stray off!" Kyp warned. "I don't think you want to be bouncing around time again!"

Swallowing deeply, Harry followed the line carefully for an untold length of time until he came up on a nearly invisible oak door, grandly carved by an unknown artist.

Reaching out slowly, Harry placed his hand on the door and pushed. White light blinded him as the door slowly opened, but faded into Kyp's familiar face and the hospital wing.

"Welcome to the present," Kyp said grandly, bowing respectfully.

"Kyp?" Harry asked, startled by Kyp's formality. "What's this for?"

"Oh nothing," Kyp laughed, friendly once again. "Glad you're back with us."

Harry turned around and saw a blank wall.

"What?" said Kyp. "Did you expect me to keep that door open so you can fall back in?"

"Well no," said Harry, "but what was that place anyway?"

Kyp scratched the back of his head. "It's not really a place, but more of a area between time frames. The black line you were following lead from the place between into this frame. Had you gone off, you would have ended up in either the future or the past."

"Blimey…"

Kyp shrugged. "Considering you caused enough damage to the timeline already…"

Harry stared. "Damage?"

Kyp gave him a strange look. "Voldemort's still crippled, Cedric Diggory still alive, Sirius still in hiding…" he listed. Abruptly, Harry grasped Kyp hard by the shoulders, startling him.

"Did you say Sirius?" Harry gasped. "He's alive?"

"Of course he is," Kyp said, looking at Harry blankly. "Bellatrix Lestrange is still in Azkaban…"

"Where is he?" Harry demanded, shaking Kyp back and forth.

"Easy Harry," Kyp said weakly, gently pulling himself out of Harry's grasp. "He's at Grimmauld Place."

"I've got to talk to him!" Harry exclaimed. He turned around to run out of the hospital wing, but Kyp held him back with an amused expression. "What?"

"The timeline has changed Harry," Kyp said simply. "I'll have to fill you in on the important details of your life so people won't think you're strange when they speak of events you don't know about."

"Er…" Harry muttered. "What is there to know?"

Kyp laughed at Harry's tone of voice and clapped Harry on the back. Being less in size and strength, Kyp wasn't able to do much to Harry from the blow and resorted to pushing him out of the wing.

"For one thing," Kyp said. "You are officially a Hogwarts hero for revealing the identity of the false Professor Moody in your fourth year. Not only that, there was a trick that you employed in the first task to avoid the Horntail's, well, _tail._"

Harry groaned.

"You've been offered a position in the World Dragon Taming something," Kyp added idly. "Whatever that is…"

"Is that it?" Harry asked, almost in a whisper as Kyp continued leading him to Gryffindor tower.

"No," Kyp said, rolling his eyes. "You've also been made Head Boy while directly skipping the prefect rank." Kyp tapped his fingers while listing. "You're still Quidditch captain, top in defense, terrible in history, and…ah!" Kyp gave Harry a broad smile. "Snape has been fired."

Harry stopped dead in his tracks. "What?"

"Something about returning to Voldemort's service," Kyp said casually. "He's been replaced by Horace Slughorn, who reminds me of a bowling ball for some reason."

"How do you know about bowling balls?" Harry asked. "They're muggle things."

"Exactly," Kyp pointed out. "They're so simple that a simple magical scan of the city around me and I can understand the time I have dropped into. Considering the place of my own time…" Kyp left off. A dark expression had settled over Kyp's face as he stopped talking.

"Kyp?" Harry asked softly. "What happened when you got here?"

Instead of answering, Kyp forcibly brightened his face and waved off the question. "Anyway, you get the idea. Just try to act as though you understand. I'll help you if you get stuck anytime."

Harry stepped forward past Kyp and stood in his path. "Kyp."

"Guess there's no stopping you huh?" Kyp said with resignation. He tried to squeeze past Harry, but the young wizard stepped into his path. "Harry," he laughed weakly.

"Kyp, I must know," Harry said with a hint of urgency. "Tersan told me that you were struck down by the governors of Atlantis. If that's true, how are you standing here?"

"DON'T MENTION THE GOVERNORS!" Kyp shouted suddenly, his voice fearful. "I…" Kyp stepped back away from Harry and stumbled into a wall. "They were the most ungrateful, most blind…" Kyp fell silent as he slid down onto the floor; his heavy breathing broke down into silent sobs.

Harry moved forward to help Kyp off the floor, but froze when the boy snapped livid eyes into his.

"You want to know what happened?" Kyp asked softly, slowly lifting himself to his feet. "I'll tell you then. The governors tried to kill me when I finally succeeded in restoring Tersan's humanity to him."

"Restored?" Harry echoed blankly. "What do you mean by that?"

"You have no idea, do you?" Kyp whispered maddening calmly. "Of course you wouldn't. It was, after all, thanks to me that you stand here today."

"The ignorance of mankind…" Kyp interrupted as Harry tried to speak. "You think he tried to be nice, didn't you?"

Harry stared. "Well yes, but what…"

"Have you any idea how feared the name Tersan Anthrias was during his reign of the world?" Kyp said, his eyes narrow. "He was fear more than Lucifer himself during the fallen angel's time on earth." Kyp gestured grandly, and the hallway vanished to be replaced by a scene of incredible battle between an army of white and another of various colors that reached all the way into the horizon.

"What you see here now is the beginning of the war between Atlantis and the world," said Kyp as the view progressed at an accelerated pace. "Mages and spellcasters from around the world joined forces against the order of the governors, which was to unite the world under its supreme rule."

Day and night passed so fast that it appeared to be white, never ending sunlight. As Harry watched, the multicolored army slowly started to drive the white army across the landscape to the glowing crystalline city it seemed to be pouring from. All of a sudden, a blinding pillar of light erupted from the center of the city out of a coliseum.

"For six days and six nights, all fighting in the world halted as every living being stopped to observe this magnificent display of power," Kyp said, noting emotionlessly that Harry was also fascinated by the view.

"It's so beautiful…" Harry whispered. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"No one ever has," Kyp said. "But it was intended to bring all attention to itself until it was too late."

The pillar suddenly snapped out of existence, causing its audience to fall into disorientation at its abrupt departure. Harry caught a glimpse of a single sparkling speck near the top of the coliseum-like structure before everything went into chaos.

A fury of countless bolts of lightning erupted from the speck into the surrounding opposing army. Instead of striking the army itself, the bolts struck deep into the earth, creating columns of fire that burned furiously, rapidly consuming the army before it had a chance to react.

"And thus Tersan Anthrias was born," Kyp said dramatically. "By wiping out the entire combined might of the world single-handedly, Tersan demonstrated not only his power but also his willingness to kill any number on command." He looked at Harry's astounded expression. "This action was simply the first in a long chain for over a century, until he came upon my home, Eslagard." At this, Kyp fell silent and would speak no more. The scene vanished and they were back in the hallway.

"More emotionless than the earth itself, the infamous Weapon of Atlantis was feared even by Death himself," Kyp said finally after a stretch of painful silence. "My homeland was renown for its power in defense and preservation. The army of the governors took two days just to break through our outer shield that protected our capital when we came under attack as well."

"Why would you be attacked?"

Kyp gave Harry a hard look before replying. "The governors of Atlantis had a sudden idea one day to unite the entire world under its single control. In less than a week, Atlantis gathered all its power and launched an incredible attack onto the world, plunging the entire planet into a century of total war."

"What happened then?" Harry asked, intrigued.

"There isn't much in the war itself," Kyp said. "But near the end of the century, the governors grew desperate and finally decided to bring all of Atlantis's power and knowledge into a single point."

"What was it?" Harry asked.

Nearly groaning at Harry's ignorance, Kyp asked, "Harry, who is the most powerful magical wielding person you know of?"

"Dumbledore of course," Harry answered instinctively, then caught himself. "Wait no, _Tersan…_"

"You understand now," Kyp said, smiling grimly. "Built only for war, Tersan Anthrias could do anything, yet feel nothing. Entire nations fell to his power and his unstoppable army until Atlantis finally turned its attention to the long neutral Eslagard, the legendary infallible city." Kyp sighed to himself.

"It was a great city, my home," he whispered. "It took two days for the army to take down the outer shield, then another to take out the inner one." He glanced at Harry. "Did you know that it was Tersan himself that ordered the execution of all our citizens for refusing to comply with Atlantis's order of unity?"

Wordless, Harry could only shake his head.

"Every living elder, man, woman, and child perished under his army," Kyp continued. "Tersan himself came for my family." Kyp's voice started to break. "And before my eyes, he personally killed my father and mother, king and queen of Eslagard."

"King and queen?" Harry repeated in a hushed whisper. "You must have been…"

"The prince, yes," Kyp said softly. "And some prince I was," he added scornfully. "I could only stand there as he took one look at me and whisked me off to Atlantis as proof to the governors that the city was under his control."

"What did the governors decide to do with you?"

A soft, almost grateful look came into his eyes. "The governors wanted to execute me by having me whipped to death. I will never understand, but Tersan countered the governors' orders by telling that he would be taking me into his direct servitude." He gave a short bark of laughter. "Izual's face was a sight to remember, that look of shock at Tersan's defiance. But he permitted Tersan's decision, and I entered his servitude."

Harry seemed to have found his voice. "So were you grateful that he rescued you?"

"Grateful?" Kyp scoffed. "I hated him. Despised him so much that I actually tried to attack him. Not that there was any point. I simply bounced off of his natural magical ambience, his personal magical shielding in other words."

"But how did you grow to like him?"

At this question, a faint smile appeared on his face. "Perhaps his humanity was already returning, I may never know, but he did something I will never forget."

Harry waited in silence for Kyp to continue.

"He brought me to the border of life and death," said Kyp, "to meet my parents whenever I wished." At Harry's sharp intake of breath, Kyp nodded. "Tersan would have done the same for you Harry, had you given him the chance. Eventually though, Tersan actually built a special room that sat directly at the borderline for me, just so that I could take comfort in the presence of my parents, who were capable of taking corporeal form there. From that day on, I forgave Tersan for everything he had done."

"And your efforts to restore his humanity?"

"I didn't intend to, to tell you the truth," Kyp admitted. "I was actually trying to become friends with him. It was like talking to a machine. But after a while, he actually started to open up to not only me, but also everyone else.

"He became more merciful and kind to those around him. There was one flaw in the restoration. Tersan started making decisions of his own." Kyp gave Harry a sad smile. "One day, Izual decided to bring his weapon back under control by restoring Tersan's emotional blocks and reinforcing Tersan's binding to Atlantis. To do that, he had to remove me, leading to his decision to kill me. After all, Tersan would simply search the world if I were sent away."

"It didn't work of course," Kyp laughed, though the effort was forced. "You saw what happened to me. Izual failed to kill me and banish me into creation's void. Instead, he sent me careening out of control into the river of time."

"So I ended up here."

( 0 0 0 )

War after war zoomed past as Tersan scrolled through time as a muggle would channels on a television.

"Where is the relevance?" Tersan muttered to himself.

"Tersan!" Creation suddenly shouted. "It's here!"

"What?" Tersan murmured. He turned to face what Creation was referring to, and his breath caught in his throat. "The conquest of Eslagard."

A magnificent city on its own, Eslagard encompassed a great portion of land and even rivaled Atlantis in power. Despite its grandeur, the shimmering green shield of the city looked vulnerable to the white army that covered half the planet. Slowly, as Tersan watched, the white army pummeled the shield with incredible power continuously until the vivid green started to darken as it grew weaker.

Abruptly, the shield crumbled under the assault, but another smaller blue shield snapped into existence before the army could advance any further. The army paused momentarily, startled by the new appearance. Once again though, the army resumed its siege on the city until the second shield also broke.

"And the people of Eslagard were slaughtered more easily than one would with sheep," Tersan said to himself. "There goes me."

A single point light flew above the outer areas of the city as it burned, illuminating the sky like a miniature sun. The light flitted to the castle near the other side of the city and smashed through its defense as though they didn't exist. Light flashed numerous times within the castle and the light flew out of the castle at high speed, screaming through the sky across the world onto the other side, arriving at an even larger and glorious city protected by a violent dome of silver lightning.

The light passed through the dome without harm and vanished into one of the countless spires near the center of the city.

Years passed in seconds as Tersan continued watching, until he finally spoke up. "Perhaps it is better if we distance ourselves for the moment."

"Wait!" Destruction interrupted. "What is that?"

An invisible ripple in reality visible only to Tersan and his avatars suddenly appeared from the highest spire in the city.

"An echo?" Creation whispered. "But those can only be caused by…"

"Follow it!" Tersan ordered. He plunged through all the known planes of reality as the ripple quickly passed into worlds far more advanced than the normal realm. "Don't lose it!"

Tersan pursued the ripple relentlessly until a sight forced him to stop cold.

Consisting of infinite threads spanning infinite vastness, the tapestry of fate hung before him like an incomprehensibly complex spider web.

A deep reverberating echo caught his attention as something small slammed into the tapestry, creating a shower of sparks and rebounded off into a massive river of rushing water below where the bottom portion of the tapestry was gently swirling in.

Golden light erupted from the impact point and flashed through the tapestry at a near infinite speed. Tersan tore after the stream of light and followed its progress as he watched the effects it brought onto the tapestry.

The light branched off into countless directions, some into torn portions of the fabric, others into strongly entwined. But a single stream remained strong and continued down a single thread until it crossed with another thread, creating a single, new thread. Abruptly, the light slowed down in the thread as another thread crossed into the new one.

"By the fates…" Tersan whispered in horror. "If this is what I think it is…"

"Tersan!" one of his avatars shouted, but Tersan ignored him. He was too intent on the thread.

"_This is the lifeline of Harry Potter!"_ Tersan could only watch in horror as another thread, this one twisted and dark wrapped itself around the early beginning of the thread.

"Tersan!" his avatar shouted again. "The prince of Eslagard just flew into the essence of time faster than the flow of the current."

"Kyp?" Tersan shouted hoarsely, tearing his eyes around the tapestry. "Kyp!"

"Tersan!" shouted Destruction, gripping hard onto Tersan's shoulders. "He's gone through time! You can't follow him without disrupting the flow!"

"I don't care!" Tersan screamed.

"Tersan!" Creation thundered. "Even if you are immune to paradox, there are things you cannot mend!"

Tersan whirled around in fury. "You don't understand! Kyp never died! Governor Izual never succeeded in killing him. Instead, he drove him out of this world and into destruction's void, not creation's." He pointed angrily toward the tapestry, which was still crackling from the impact. "By rebounding off the tapestry, Kyp spilt part of his blood onto a lifeline," he flew over and traced a long thread, "leading it here!"

"Impossible!" Destruction uttered.

"Do you understand now?" Tersan demanded. "Harry Potter is a resonance echo of Kyp! He is Kyp!" Without another word, he plunged into the flowing water.

"Tersan!" Creation shrieked. "No!"

But it was too late. The moment Tersan's body entered the water, the body of water exploded apart into countless streams of water, crossing one another occasionally as the currents moved lazily around.

"What can we do?" Destruction growled.

"This is beyond me!" Creation moaned. "The best we can do is to follow him!"

( 0 0 0 )

"Well, at least classes are more fun now," Harry joked as he helped himself to some pudding during dinner. "Snape isn't here."

"Just him?" Kyp asked amusedly, poking at a dish. "What's this?"

"Something in French," said Harry, shrugging. "It's actually pretty good."

Kyp's hand was halfway back with the ladle when a look of alarm struck his face, dropping the ladle with a loud clatter.

"Kyp?" Harry called concernedly. "What's wrong?"

Kyp was unable to reply. The feeling coursing through his soul when a certain person was nearing was overwhelming.

"T-Ter…" Kyp stammered.

"What was that?" Harry asked.

Unexpectedly, Kyp leapt off his chair and dropped on one knee, facing the Great Hall doors, his head bowed. Before anyone could question his strange action, the tables slid toward the walls without warning and created a space in the center of the hall where Kyp was kneeling.

The double doors shattered into glowing dust as power ripped through the room, coming from an unknown origin.

"My Lord Anthrias," Kyp addressed royally as he stood slowly. "I welcome your presence."

Through the cloud of glowing dust, a familiar figure strode through.

"Tersan!" Harry gasped. Beside him, Ron and Hermione both stiffened.

"Blimey! That's Tersan?" Ron whispered. "Now I don't doubt what you said about his power, blowing through the doors like that!"

"Lord Anthrias," Kyp said again. "It has been far too long."

"A mere span of days…" Tersan said quietly. "But seven hundred thousand years for me…"

Immediately, Harry could tell that something was threatening to explode from both people.

"Lord…" Kyp tried to say, but failed as tears started to form in his eyes.

"Oh Kyp!" Tersan cried, rushing forward and embraced the boy in his arms. "Nearly a million years and I have not yet the decency to even thank you for my freedom."

The embrace lasted only a few second as Tersan pulled away and sought out Harry from the crowd. With a single snap of his finger, Harry found himself standing in front of Tersan, who was looking sorrowfully at him.

"Harry," Tersan started. "What I have done to you cannot be forgiven, but please, allow me to explain everything before you do anything else."

Remembering what Kyp had said about Tersan, Harry replied, "I will listen."

Shuddering with visible relief, Tersan drew his wand and flicked it.

The trio flared and vanished.


	26. To Life

**A/N: **I thank my reviewers listed below.

kirallieYumiAngelBlue Werewolf Boybandgsecurtiyawkfc badmanLordheavenOswoltRemmy-chan-knuchzkira yamatoAnn Goddardshortyinluv429funky seaweedTiara Shinlooneylupinsrevenge+

_**To Life**_

For the first time, Harry found himself standing atop a tower so high that a cloud was floating at his exact level overlooking Tersan's reconstruction of Atlantis. The sketches of the city in History of Magic were nothing compared to the true magnificence of the city.

"I know," Tersan said softly from the side. He didn't look up to Harry's eyes. "It's a sight to behold."

"Atlantis is beautiful," Harry said, his voice slightly tight. He looked down toward Tersan, who turned his head away and downcast his eyes. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I…" Tersan tried to say, but his voice faltered. "I simply wished to speak to you in private, if you permit it."

"I've already agreed to it," said Harry, his voice emotionless.

Tersan shifted under Harry's gaze, but still didn't look up. "You have every right to hate me for what I have done. It is unforgivable."

"_Asune vactorey, esma?"_ Kyp said quietly, stepping to Tersan.

"_SAR'K ZARAVOT KASI!"_ Tersan snarled, causing the boy to stumble back several paces. _"Toskar veth…"_

"Tersan?" Harry looked at Kyp and Tersan concernedly. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Tersan muttered. "I was just telling him that this was none of his business."

"Didn't sound like it."

Tersan sighed and closed his eyes. "I am sorry Harry," Tersan finally said, opening his eyes. "It's just that I have found out something very important about you and Kyp."

"What is it?" Harry asked, interested.

"Tell me," Tersan said. "What has your school taught you on the subject of the tapestry of fate?"

"The tapestry of fate?" Harry asked. "It has only been hinted as an incomprehensible branch of magic for humans."

"Beyond your comprehension?" Tersan repeated, amused. He turned serious. "The tapestry of fate is, to put simply, an infinitely complex integrated fabric of events of every single living human being in existence. Every possible decision to every possible event, the tapestry of fate governs it all." He gestured toward Harry's forehead.

"Take your scar for example," Tersan said. "It vanished after I killed Voldemort, but it returned when you returned Cedric Diggory alive back to Hogwarts."

Harry unconsciously reached up on his forehead and felt his scar. "It's back…"

"Fate," Tersan stated. "Cannot be avoided, no matter what you do. Anything you do here on earth to avert your fate is only done on earth. The thread that governs your life is still there in the tapestry, beyond the mortal plane." Tersan gave a small smile. "Even after I killed Voldemort for you, look at us now. He is once again alive, and the prophecy still stands."

"What does this have to do with Kyp and I?" Harry asked.

"The tapestry cannot be altered under any circumstances by any force on earth," Tersan explained, giving Harry a stern look. "However, if sufficient force is exerted to penetrate the mortal plane, it is possible for you to reach out and manipulate the threads of the tapestry. A human has limited control over the threads though, for only the three goddesses of fate can fully comprehend and control the tapestry."

"Wait," Harry interrupted. "There are gods?"

"Actually," Tersan said. "Gods are actually beings that have attained levels of magic far beyond any other, allowing them to ascend to a more advanced plane of existence. From there, the beings are capable of easily altering earthly events."

"But…" Harry left off.

"I know it's hard to believe," Tersan assured. "You would think that the world today would be in total chaos by these 'gods' above us. There was a period of time they did actually take place in history, but I destroyed the records. It had something to do with the war of Heaven and Hell, the Castle of Sanctity and the Prison of Condemned."

"Numerous gods tried to place their influence on the earth, often leaving behind numerous legends and myths as a result of their actions," Tersan continued. "One day, three sisters made a decision to create a barrier between the world of the gods and that of the mortals. What the sisters used to form the barrier was so unusual and obscure that no living god was capable of taking it apart or even moving it aside, for it was so deeply entwined into the fabrics of reality that it even took root into the foundations of existence itself."

"The barrier is now known as the tapestry of fate, governed by the three sisters, whom eventually became known as the goddesses of fate," Tersan said before Harry could say anything. "The tapestry not only acted as a barrier, but became adapted by the goddesses to guide humanity through its life in the universe itself. Every single detail in a person's life from as simple as hair growth to becoming a god was governed in the carefully made and woven thread of his life."

"Go on," Harry said softly.

Tersan gave Harry a sharp glance. "Harry, you must understand the power of the tapestry. There is no avoiding what fate has destined for you, no matter how long you delay. But there are…very few exceptions."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Kyp," Tersan called. Kyp approached dutifully and stood at attention. "Harry."

"Harry," Kyp said, facing Harry. "I will start telling you first about your relation to young Kyp here. To begin, I must first tell you about the exceptions of events that can bring about a change in the tapestry of fate." He waved his hand, and a web-like mesh encompassed the sky, darkening it from daylight to night. "Today, it takes an incredible amount of power just for someone to poke a very small hole through reality. Seven hundred thousand years ago, this was very common among mere children living on the land of the city Atlantis. It is, however, another thing entirely to penetrate reality all the way outside the mortal plane. There are few that can, but even fewer that can do it easily." Tersan gestured to himself. "I am one of them, second only to a planeswalker. The only others are the governors of Atlantis and Merlin, who lived on earth four nearly six hundred ninety five thousand years after I destroyed Atlantis."

"Kyp here was the prince of a powerful nation that rivaled Atlantis in power during the warring era before the Reign of Atlantis. By the order of the governors, the nation was to be ordered to join Atlantis or be destroyed. The rulers of the nation, Eslagard, declined the order. Their resistance lasted mere days as the entire army of Atlantis lead by myself crushed their defenses and wiped out their people."

At this point, Tersan had turned to Kyp with an sympathetic look. "Kyp was brought into my service after Eslagard's defeat as a personal servant. Before I met Kyp, my reputation as the Weapon of Atlantis was a heartless murderer who would kill any number without hesitation. This was caused by the emotional blocks put in place by the governors, whom wanted to ensure my full cooperation by denying me my desire for free will. Kyp's induction into my service caused something the governors did not expect."

Tersan looked away from the both of them. "My frequent interaction with Kyp brought a gradual erosion to my emotional blocks as I was constantly confused by Kyp's emotional outbursts with the things that I did. The governors eventually became concerned at my increase in questioning of their orders ever since I came into contact into Kyp. Finally, Izual, highest of the governors decided to bring me back under their complete control by eliminating the direct source of my instability." Tersan placed a gentle hand on Kyp's shoulder, which started to tremble slightly.

"Izual himself attacked Kyp and attempted to banish him from the mortal realm entirely to eliminate the possibility of all contact between us," Tersan resumed. "His efforts resulted differently. Instead of banishing Kyp, he sent him out of the mortal plane into the tapestry of life, crashing him into it. Kyp was already severely injured by Izual's power and threw blood onto the threads, then rebounded away into the river of time directly under the fabric."

Kyp's trembling stopped as Tersan gripped his shoulder strongly. A red splash suddenly appeared on the tapestry in the sky above them and spread rapidly throughout the threads into vast reaches of the tapestry, branching out further and further.

"Kyp's blood traveled through the tapestry assisted by the force of his impact and rewove the threads, change the future by a great amount," Tersan said, his voice rising as he gestured to the blood-soaked threads that flew apart in disarray. "See the convergence?" The countless red threads started to cross together as it continued across the tapestry into a thick bundle. "There! They unite into one." The said threads converge into a point abruptly and produced a single, pure green thread.

Tersan turned to Harry, looking at him caringly. Harry was staring at the tapestry in wonder. "This…?"

"And thus Harry Potter is born…" Tersan whispered. "You see Harry, great things happen to you because you are the production of many lifelines entwined into one. I believe that the fates found Kyp's blood perfect for their plan to end Voldemort's life, therefore using his essence to create you."

Harry wasn't listening, he as looking at a black strand next to his own green thread.

"That's Voldemort," Tersan said, following Harry's gaze. "You can see where his line bumps into yours. Those are your close encounters with death with him."

"You can't just cut it, can you?" Harry asked, half joking.

"Well," Tersan said uncertainly. "I _could_, but that would cause incredible damage to the tapestry." Pointing to Harry's green thread and Voldemort's black thread, he said, "The two threads of our current time are the only two holding together the present and the future of all mankind. Kyp's essence brought the entire tapestry into a single focus: you Harry. The continuation of your line with the support of Voldemort's line is the only thing preventing the tapestry from falling part."

"So if you cut the line…" Harry prompted.

"Everything will cease to exist at where I cut the line," Tersan said. "Everything that exists in the moral realm will fade, leaving only me."

Harry glanced at Tersan in sudden suspicion. "Why only you?"

"Well…" Tersan shrugged.

"You're a god, aren't you?" Harry interrupted.

There was silence for several moments.

"Why do you say that?" Tersan asked finally.

Harry gestured toward Tersan. "Everything you know, the magic you're capable of, they're all beyond anything this world can produce, not matter their power."

Tersan stood there in silence. Harry waited.

"So I am," Tersan said finally. Behind him, Kyp let a stifled gasp. "You are correct Harry. I am a god."

"How could you have told him that?" Kyp exploded, unable to contain himself any longer. "Such information is not to be told to anyone that cannot understand!"

"Mind your position!" Tersan roared. "I determine who I tell what I wish, not you!"

"Tersan!" Harry shouted.

Startled, Tersan and Kyp both looked at him.

"I came here to hear what you had to say," Harry said tiredly. "Not to hear the two of you argue."

Tersan glanced at Harry for a moment, then turned back to Kyp. "I apologize," he said. "But I trust that Harry can accept what I told him."

Kyp opened his mouth to retort, but closed it and nodded.

"Alright." Tersan seemed to be slightly under tension. "Harry, I am going to give you something I created during my service to Atlantis in its height of its power."

"It's not some artifact is it?" Harry asked, eyeing Tersan apprehensively. "Like an old box or antique?"

Tersan gave a weak laugh and shook his head. "Actually, it's something I built for Kyp long ago. But considering your source of origin, it also belongs to you."

"Tersan…" Kyp suddenly whispered. "Borderline…?"

"Harry," Tersan said. "Do you remember the archway I sent your godfather into?"

Harry swallowed hard, keeping his spiking anger under control. "Yes. What about it?"

Tersan turned away from Harry's eyes. "I'm going to bring your godfather and cousin back."

There was silence for a moment until Harry broke the silence. "That's it?" he asked calmly.

"The room is called Borderline because it is built directly on the line between the living and the dead," Tersan said, strength returning to his voice as he looked back at Harry. "I built that room to allow Kyp to speak with his parents whenever he wished. Now, I can return to it and allow you to speak to _your_ parents."

For several moments, Harry could only contemplate what Tersan had just offered him. To be able to meet his parents for the first time! And with Sirius and Alex alive again!

"I know that my offense is unforgivable," Tersan said quietly. "But I wish to do this before it becomes too late for me."

Before Harry could ask another question, Tersan drew his wand and flicked it again.

( 0 0 0 )

Everything was black, completely bottomless save one structure in front of him.

Harry swallowed at the sight of the crumbling stone archway as it stood ominously in its silent vigil. There were simply too many dark memories associated with the object.

"I thought you destroyed it," Harry remarked, taking an unconscious step backwards.

"It was restored for this occasion," Tersan said, gesturing at Harry.

"I can feel your emotions Harry," Tersan said calmly. "And I cannot apologize enough about what I have done." He gestured toward the artifact. "Follow me then."

"Tersan," Harry said uncertainly. "Are you sure this is safe?"

Tersan gave him a strange look. "Do you think I would come all this way just to harm you Harry?"

"Well no," Harry said, "but after all this time…"

Tersan chuckled softly. "Sure, the stone has worn down, but it has lasted for nearly a million years. Either way, I can see the magic that powers the entrance, and I can tell you that it's as strong as ever." Smiling, he walked into the arch, causing a slight distortion in light as he vanished.

"Oh dear," Harry murmured. "If anything happens…"

"Do you trust him?" Kyp's voice asked from behind him.

Harry looked at Kyp, startled. "What do you mean by that?"

"Tersan wishes to make amends with you," Kyp explained, looking at Harry softly. "If you haven't noticed, Tersan would give you anything right now if you asked."

There was silence for several moments.

"Anything…?" Harry whispered.

"Be careful of what you wish for Harry," Kyp warned, then entered the archway without another word.

"Isn't that a muggle saying?" Harry mused to himself for several seconds. Giving the archway one final critical look, Harry ran into it.

He was met with bright, streaming sunlight.

"What…?" Harry whispered, swallowing the entire landscape.

He was standing on the edge of a grassy cliff, where a beautiful waterfall was running down into a glittering ravine below next to him. Turning around, Harry saw that a grand looking oak door had replaced the archway he had entered.

"Harry!" Kyp's voice called out. "Over here! There are a few people who you'll want to meet!"

Harry turned away from the door and looked down the cliff, where he saw Kyp waving enthusiastically up at him from the riverbank.

"How do I get down?" Harry shouted.

"Jump!" Kyp yelled. "Don't worry! Nothing will happen!"

Harry gulped. "You had better be right about this…"

He jumped. True to Kyp's words, Harry immediately found himself standing on the riverbank next to Kyp the moment his feet left the ground.

"Only available in the land of the dead," a shockingly familiar voice said from behind him. "Your cousin."

Harry whipped around. "Alexander!"

"Hello Harry," Alexander said as Harry embraced him into his arms. "It's been a while."

"It's good to see you," Harry said tearfully. "I thought I'd never see you again."

Alexander chuckled. "You would have arrived here the day _you_ died. No offense of course."

"I'm not going to get killed," Harry said dryly. "Especially not by Voldemort."

"You better not," a stern but amused voice said as Sirius suddenly appeared out of nowhere next to Alexander.

"Sirius," Harry whispered. He nearly broke down crying. "You're…"

"Harry!" Alexander cried out. "Please, this is the land of the dead. You meet all your dead relatives here, so that shouldn't be much of a shock when you meet someone who died in your life."

Harry took an unconscious step backwards and yelped in surprise as his foot sank into the rushing flow of water.

Kyp laughed as Harry leapt out of the water and pulled off his shoe to dump the water out. "Harry, even though this world is not the same as the world of the living, there are still things that are the same." He gestured at Harry's wet foot as he pulled his shoe back on. "Such as that."

A sudden blast of lightning arced across the sky and exploded directly above them in a shower of sparks.

Harry blinked his eyes a few times to clear them. A pair of silver eyes met his own green eyes when the glare faded.

"Tersan!" Harry cried in astonishment, leaping backwards onto the water again. To his utter surprise, his foot stepped onto the water's surface instead of sinking in again. "How the…?"

"I don't think you want to get wet again do you?" Tersan asked casually, eyeing Harry's soaked shoe.

"Not really," Harry said sarcastically, carefully stepping back onto dry ground. "What are you doing here?"

Tersan gave him a gentle look. "There's some people who would like to meet you," Tersan said softly. "And others as well."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"You'll understand when you meet them."

Harry raised his eyebrows at the statement, but his eyes became as large as sand dollars the moment Tersan gestured.

Standing in front of him were two people he had only seen in pictures and a very special mirror.

"Mum? Dad?" Harry gasped.

( 0 0 0 )

Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, was found in his office dead, burned to death from inside out. The entire ministry was baffled as to how this happened, though certain sources suggested Death Eater activity.

In the light of current events, Rufus Scrimgeor, head of Magical Enforcement, was promoted directly to Minister of Magic following the former Minister's assassination.

Now the new Minister of Magic was barging up the spiral stone staircase leading up to Headmistress McGonagall's office.

"Where is Harry Potter?" Scrimgeor said brusquely as he thrust aside the doors.

McGonagall glanced up from the parchment she was reading. Covering her desk were various pieces of numerous quills, as well as a stack of burnt parchment.

"Good day Minister."

Scrimgeor waved his hand impatiently. "Enough with the pleasantries Headmistress. Where is Harry Potter?" To his utter surprise, McGonagall simply shrugged.

"If I knew that, it would be a miracle," McGonagall said stiffly. "I'm afraid that Mr. Potter has vanished."

"What are you talking about?" Scrimgeor demanded.

McGonagall answered by simply sliding the parchment in front of her to the Minister.

"What rubbish is this?" Scrimgeor sputtered. Turning his eyes to the parchment, he fell silent as he read through the words.

_To Whom It May Concern:_

_I have taken Harry to visit Borderline. I will return him shortly, therefore I warn you not to try and follow us. Upon our return, I shall bring back several lost members of your society._

_Please provide a reception party at the Archway of Crossings at nine o'clock tonight for our return._

_Weapon of Atlantis_

"Weapon of Atlantis…" Scrimgeor muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Who is that?"

"If we knew that, I wouldn't be handing that to you," McGonagall said.

Scrimgeor flipped the parchment over and back again. "Do you have any idea what the Archway of Crossings is?"

"If you would turn it over," McGonagall suggested.

"But it's blank," Scrimgeor protested, flipping the parchment over. "What the…?"

A beautifully drawn picture of a magnificent stone archway with a lavish looking cloth hanging in the arch covered the back. As Scrimgeor watched, the archway started to wear away, falling away in grains of sand to chunks of gravel. The cloth had the appearance of wear until its edges started fray. Eventually, the archway turned into a coldly familiar artifact well known only to certain people in the ministry and Hogwarts.

"This is…!"

McGonagall nodded. "You see, that is all we know of current events."

"How do you know that this is genuine?" Scrimgeor asked sharply, inspecting the picture carefully. "That all this isn't some practical joke?"

"We thought the same ourselves," McGonagall said. "But look at the symbol at the top of the archway. It's barely visible in its current state, but you will be able to tell."

"That's not possible!" Scrimgeor gasped as he pulled the picture closer. "The symbol of Atlantis!"

But it stood there clearly. The dual complex spirals drawn in opposite directions symbolized a great depth of power and mystery within its lines.

"Despite its plain appearance," McGonagall explained. "Any attempts to duplicate the image by any magical creature always resulted in destruction of the symbol."

"I know that," Scrimgeor whispered. "But this…"

"Then you know," McGonagall said, "that according to legend, only one of Atlantian origin can replicate that symbol. And the one who can draw that has the right to challenge the world to the War of Power."

Scrimgeor glanced at her sharply, then to the pile of burnt debris on her desk. "So you tried to test the theory out yourself?"

"It was the only way to find out," McGonagall said softly.

Scrimgeor was silent for a moment, then limped to a chair and sat down. "But I do not remember a Weapon of Atlantis being mentioned in the ancient archives."

"That is the sole mystery to this affair," McGonagall said. "Whoever this is, it seems apparent that this Weapon is someone to be carefully reckoned with."

"What of Harry Potter?"

McGonagall leaned back into her seat. "The power of Atlantis is truly phenomenal. Harry's fate is beyond our control."

( 0 0 0 )

Harry was looking in shock at a tall man with untidy hair and another woman with long hair.

"Hello Harry," the man whispered quietly. "It's been a long time."

The woman gave a stifled gasp and rushed forward, embracing Harry tightly.

"You've grown so much!" she exclaimed, examining him closely. "Curse that Voldemort, giving you that scar," she said angrily, running her finger over the scar.

"Mum?" Harry croaked. "Is it really you?"

Lily Potter gazed sternly into Harry's green eyes with her own respectfully green eyes.

"Who else am I? Bellatrix Lestrange?" Lily asked sarcastically.

"Of course not!" Harry stammered. But his father laughed and ruffled Harry's hair.

"Caught off guard eh?" James laughed. "Happened to me the day Lily decided to marry me after my request."

"Aunt Lily!" Alexander shouted from behind them. "You should have told us you were all the way over here."

Lily smiled happily and turned Harry around to face his cousin. "It wasn't me who brought Harry here Alex."

"I know that," Alexander said. "But we could have been here earlier."

Tersan appeared without warning and tripped him.

"Hey-!"

"I knew that," Tersan said, chuckling as Alexander picked himself back up. "You're easy to trip Alexander."

"Mind calling me Alex?" asked Alex. "I like the shorter version better."

Tersan shrugged. "No problem." He turned around. "So Harry, how are you going along with your parents?"

"Tersan," Lily said kindly. "I can't thank you enough for this, for allowing us to see Harry."

Tersan stepped back. "I do not allow or restrict your meeting Mrs. Potter. That would be far too unkind to refer it as such. It would be better if we call it a reunion."

"Well said," James said, nodding in approval. "I think Harry here should get back before he faints from shock."

"Harry? Faint?" Alex said incredulously. "Considering the times he's faced horrors worse than this, I highly doubt that."

"Tersan." Harry turned from his parents and stepped directly in front of Tersan, looking down at him from his height. "I thank you for bringing me here."

Being shorter than Harry, Tersan had to look up at him. "Why is everyone thanking me at once?" he muttered. "But you're welcome."

"You know," Harry said suddenly. "I've never actually looked down on you Tersan."

"What do you mean by that?" Tersan asked, looking at him warily. "Judge me by size do you?"

"I meant our height difference," Harry said quickly, mistaking Tersan's expression for anger. But Tersan laughed, and Harry felt relieved.

"I understand that Harry," Tersan chuckled. "It's just my power that gives me a powerful impression."

"You thought that Tersan thought you were looking down at him in disapproval?" Alex snickered. "What was that word? Preposterous!"

A ringing sound suddenly came from Tersan's wrist. Glancing at it, Tersan raised an eyebrow.

"Nine already?" he muttered. "Ah well, time flies." He looked up at Harry. "It's time to go."

Harry swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. "Already?"

Tersan looked at him curiously, then his eyes lit up in understanding. "You thought that you were going to leave and come back some long time after?"

"Er…"

"They're coming with us," Tersan said simply and waved his hand. The grand door appeared behind him.

"Stop acting so surprised all the time," Tersan said exasperatedly at their looks of astonishment. "I'm not bound by the natural laws of magic of the mortal realm." He turned toward the door. "If you would all follow me."

Abruptly, several figures appeared in flashes of light. Harry couldn't see them though, for the light remained like a blinding cloud.

"If you would like to return, follow me," Tersan addressed to the illuminated figures. "Otherwise, you may remain here." Without waiting for a reply, Tersan turned and opened the door. The doorway was pure black.

"Tersan?" Harry said uncertainly.

"Come along Harry," Tersan said. "We must leave first for the rest of them to follow us." He vanished into the darkness.

"Go on Harry," James said reassuringly. "We'll be right after you."

Reluctantly, Harry nodded and followed Tersan in, bracing himself for the unknown.

( 0 0 0 )

The reception party was a meager group of aurors and the Minister of Magic. Rufus Scrimgeor had an expression of irritation written across his face.

"Are you sure Potter is inside?" an auror asked skeptically. "I heard that…"

"I know what you heard!" Scrimgeor snapped.

Light flared at the top of the archway, silencing them. The dual spiral symbol flared brightly with magical energy, slowly spreading through all the carvings on the stone. Where the fragments were missing, the glowing lines appeared on thin air and continued until the entire archway was illuminated.

Dust swirled around the base of the archway as the grains of rock filled in the missing portions of the arch. In seconds, the once crumbling archway was restored anew, its stone sparkling bright as though it had been recently polished. The tattered cloth that hung within suddenly fluttered violently, settling down as a richly black silk-like cloth.

Everything was still for several moments, then a hand pushed the cloth aside.

Tersan Anthrias entered the room.

"Who are you?" an auror demanded. "Where did you come from?"

"What a way to greet someone," Tersan said lazily. "Didn't I ask for a reception party?"

Scrimgeor straightened as he realized who the boy was. "Are you the Weapon of Atlantis?"

"Please," Tersan drawled, rolling his eyes. "But yes."

There was another ruffling of cloth, and a bewildered Harry Potter stumbled into view.

"Harry Potter!" another auror sputtered. "He came from the veil!"

"Veil?" Tersan scoffed. "To think such a powerful artifact became regarded as something as bland as that…" He tapped Harry's arm. "Let's step down before we get into the way."

"Oh, sure."

Tersan stepped forward and glided gracefully down the stairs, causing the aurors to stumble back several paces. Harry followed casually while smirking at Tersan's dramatics. Typical.

"I am the Minister of Magic," Scrimgeor began.

"Yes, yes," Tersan said impatiently. "I know who you are and what is currently going on. For the moment, there are more pressing matters on hand." He turned back to the veil, to which Harry was watching apprehensively.

Slowly, one by one, dark shadowy figures started to pass through the veil as though it weren't there.

Then, in the light of the glowing glyphs, the shroud vanished, revealing those beneath.

"James and Lily Potter!" an auror choked. "But they're dead!"

Tersan gave him a sharp glare. "How rude, to greet someone who has returned back to life like that." He turned to the two and gave a short bow. "Welcome back to the world of the living."

"Thank you," Lily said softly. She took a deep shaking breath and stood next to Harry's side, along with James.

"Alex," Harry whispered. The next figure became clear. "Sirius."

"Sirius Black!" An auror drew his wand, only to blink in astonishment as it sailed out of his hand and into Tersan's.

"As I said," Tersan admonished. "How rude."

Cedric Diggory came into view. Harry's heart skipped a beat. "Cedric?" Harry cried.

"You don't expect me to stay in there and do nothing do you?" Cedric said cheerfully. "After all, I still have a rat to pay back for killing me."

Tersan smiled broadly. "Well said Cedric. It's good to see you back." Another figure came into view.

"Amelia Bones!" Scrimgeor breathed. "But…you…how is this possible?"

Amelia Bones smiled pleasantly. "I'm sure little Tersan here will explain later. I don't even know how this thing works."

"Little?" Tersan glared at Madam Bones in mock irritation. She simply laughed.

Kyp suddenly appeared out from behind the veil, looking slightly flustered but pleased.

"Did you get him?" Tersan asked eagerly.

"Wasn't easy," Kyp said. "But he gave in."

Harry glanced at Tersan. "Who's this now?"

In response to his question, the veil parted one last time, and Albus Dumbledore came into view.

"Hello Harry," Dumbledore said solemnly, striding down the stairs. "I'm sorry I'm late."

"Professor," Harry said with difficulty. "You're right on time."

Tersan glanced amusedly between the two. "Oh lighten up!" he said loudly, startling them both. "With me around, there's nothing to worry about!"

Slowly, Harry and Dumbledore broke into smiles and laughed.

Scrimgeor was completely overwhelmed. He fainted.


	27. Traeros Drayar

**A/N:** I've been struck by the most sever case of writer's block I have ever had. My most heartfelt apologies for all my readers. At least the length of this chapter makes up for it…..doesn't it…? Hello….?

Anyway! Here is the new chapter! Finally! Oh, and do please review.

Traeros Drayar

Tersan sat on the edge of a sky-high crystalline tower left whose purpose was long forgotten by society far in the artic region. Snow drifting down slowly next to Tersan's face swirled away from his body from the force of magic coursing around out the tower.

"Some peace at last," he whispered to the cold air. Tersan focused his eyes in the distance and gazed through everything material, observing the events that progressed. "Harry seems to have difficulties repelling persistent reporters," he noted with amusement. "It seems like Rita Skeeter has returned to the press business. She seems respectful this time of Harry."

A small amount of snow managed to squeeze through the currents of invisible magic and settled on Tersan's head. Tersan gave a small smile and brushed the snow off.

"Auroran!" Tersan called out. In a flash of brilliant light, the avatar appeared, clutching a half-eaten cookie and a glass of milk.

"Eh?" Auroran sputtered through the cookie in his mouth.

Tersan blinked at him. "Oh sorry. Didn't realize you were busy. Did I pull you out of something?"

Auroran chewed for a moment and swallowed. "Party in Gryffindor common room." He took a drink of the milk. "You needed something?"

Tersan glanced at the crumbs on the front of Auroran's robes. "It can wait. I'll preoccupy myself in the meantime."

"You're sure?" Auroran asked.

"Go on," Tersan insisted. "I suppose every other avatar is there as well."

Auroran shrugged. "Alright then. My milk is starting to freeze in this temperature anyway." He flashed away.

Tersan leaned back, turning his gaze into the stars beyond, meeting the gazes of other similar entities from other worlds who were also looking in the stars. Then, he saw something.

Abruptly, his body stiffened as he realized what he needed and how he was going to get it.

"Avatars!" Tersan shouted. He wasn't summoning them. "Traeros Drayar!"

( 0 0 0 )

Harry suddenly realized that four out of six of Tersan's avatars had stiffened slightly seconds after Auroran's abrupt departure and return.

Sheredar smirked from his corner of the room, partially shrouded in shadow from his own magical ambience.

"_Traeros Drayar…"_ he whispered to himself. "It's been quite a long time."

Harry eyed the avatar warily and approached him. "What are you talking about Sheredar?"

The avatar turned toward him a suddenly vicious glare. Startled, Harry stopped dead in his tracks.

"Something far beyond your comprehension," Sheredar replied with abrupt coldness. Before Harry could say anything, Sheredar's expression softened to normal. "It doesn't matter right now Harry. What matters now is that you enjoy this party while you can."

"Sheredar," Drakken said solemnly from behind Harry. The atmosphere in the common room had suddenly gone silent from the two avatars' interaction. "We must confer." He looked around at the other avatars. "All of us."

Without another word, the avatars promptly vanished.

( 0 0 0 )

There was absolute darkness, a place of total isolation. Four figures were visible facing away from one another, despite the fact that there was no form of light to illuminate them.

"Traeros Drayar," Drakken stated flatly. "That term has been said by Tersan only once before."

"At the beginning of the Tersan Anthrias war," Calsor added. Around the circle of avatars, a panoramic cinematic view of the war enveloped them in a spherical from.

"Each avatar with its own specific force," Auroran said, watching the wars progress at years that passed in seconds. "Except for Creation and Destruction."

"There was never a need for them at the time," Drakken said calmly as he surveyed another portion of the war.

"All true," Sheredar drawled. "But even so, we had our fun, did we not?"

The question hung in the air.

"It was not necessarily fun," Auroran said finally. "Our actions were–"

"Due to Tersan's orders," Calsor finished. "But that's not the point."

"Tersan has ordered a second summoning of the Drayar," Drakken cut in. "Placing them away was difficult enough."

"Why summon them now?" Sheredar asked abruptly. "There's no war."

All for of them stiffened at once.

"Oh," all of them muttered.

( 0 0 0 )

Creation opened his eyes, looking up toward the starry sky toward a single bluish dot in the sky. Plasma fires roared around him silently in the vacuum of space spewing from the surface of the sun, coursing over Creation's robes, causing them to billow out like wings of a great bird.

"Tersan, I hope you know what you're doing, calling on the Drayar at a time like this," Creation cautioned quietly. "Despite your individual power, there are forces at work here that can be damaged by you actions."

Then Tersan's emotion rippled after his message. Creation's eyes widened.

"You can't be serious…"

( 0 0 0 )

"Not something I'm fond of doing, but…" Destruction sighed. The avatar leaned back on a drifting chunk of rock that was once part of a dead planet, "it's better than drifting around in the depths of space blowing up random objects."

Destruction leapt off the chunk and into space. Turning his head toward the dying sun, Destruction gave the star and winked.

Just as Destruction started to accelerate toward faster-than-light speed, the sun erupted into a supernova.

( 0 0 0 )

The tower exploded with dazzling light over the North Pole as Tersan channeled power into its ancient depts. Once completely bare and featureless, Tersan carved countless inscriptions around the thousands of arch windows that opened up in the tower walls. Lightning blazed around the cylindrical form of the tower, charging with increasing intensity until finally, a titanic force of power lanced out deep into the infinite depths of space.

The shockwaves from the transmission created devastating ripples of destruction one thousand miles in every direction in both land and sea.

It was seen by everyone, both muggle and wizarding kind alike.

Oddly though, no one was injured. Everyone caught in the radius of the shock were completely unharmed, though their surroundings were completely destroyed.

Then, to the amazement of all those who could see, a ghostly reflection of the earth faded in above the North Pole. But instead the normal greenery or vast blue oceans to the various shades of lands, the planet was divided into four distinct colors. One fourth was black, the next white, then green, and finally gray.

Above the tower on the real earth, another tower was visible on the ethereal world above. A blinding pillar of light suddenly erupted from both towers, linking the two worlds together. The four colors of the world suddenly surged onto the earth with startling speed and swarmed onto Earth.

Instead of separating from one another this time, the four colors intermingled with each other and became coherent, corporeal forms. The bridge of light from the towers abruptly vanished as four blazing points of light materialized on the tower.

Tersan stood in the center of his four main avatars, blazing with his own incredible silver colored power in the midst of his avatars'.

Auroran, wreathed in white light, stood gazing upon an army crackling in streams of white lightning.

Sheredar, surrounded by surging torrents of pure black darkness, cackled as chilling sinistrous shadows flew in and out of reality.

Calsor, robes fluttering in gentle winds, smiled as green clad figures took place in all the natural places of life.

Drakken, eyes closed in serenity, spoke silent whispers to the countless spirits of the dead beyond the limits of the mortal realm.

Tersan raised his hands from his sides and thrust them out to the side. Twenty figures in dark silver robes appeared around the base of the tower, linked in a circle by a ring of light between each other.

"Traeros Drayar," Tersan said softly. "Force of the Four, rise."

( 0 0 0 )

Harry was among the hundreds of students pressed hard against the windows of the castle to observe the wondrous spectacle in the distance. He was certain that it was Tersan's work, though he couldn't even begin to comprehend its purpose.

'_Tersan!'_ Harry called mentally. _'What are you doing?'_

'_Traeros Drayar…" _came Tersan's reply.

A flare of white light caught the students' attention as Auroran flashed onto the grounds in front of Hogwarts.

Harry half closed his eyes and pulled on the space around him. Other students in the room gaped in astonishment as Harry vanished from the common room.

"Auroran!" Harry called as he warped onto the lawn. "What's going on?"

"Veran Drayar," Auroran said as he smiled. "Lightforce of the Four."

Harry stared. "Huh?"

"Rizen Drayar," Sheredar said in his cold manner as he stepped out a sudden flicker of shadows. "Darkforce of the Four."

"Hey…" Harry tried to start.

"Shevat Drayar," Calsor interrupted, revealing himself from a swirling cyclone of leaves that previously wasn't there, but his tone was warm. "Lifeforce of the Four."

Harry didn't bother to say anything this time. There was only one left.

"Zakun Drayar," Drakken whispered calmly, striding through a cloud of mist. "Deathforce of the Four."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off once again when Tersan appeared with so much magical force that Harry was knocked off his feet. Only his quick thinking with his magic prevented him from flying into the air.

"Traeros Drayar," Tersan finished. "Force of the Four." Looking at Harry's expression, he said, "My most sincere apologies for your inconvenience."

"Inconvenience?" Harry said in exasperation. "Tersan, you created an I-don't-know-what above our heads from that pillar of light, brought something from there, had your avatars come here and say some odd things, then appear personally and blow me off my feet. Inconvenience?"

Tersan stared at Harry, his mouth slightly opened. "If you can't handle simple things like that, then…"

Harry shook his head. "You should be a little more considerate of others before you do things like that anyway, even if they can handle it." He looked at Tersan straight in the eye.

"Oh," Tersan muttered after several seconds, turning away slightly to hide his embarrassment.

Sheredar stepped over to Harry's side, gesturing with his head at Tersan. "Congratulations Harry."

"Huh?" Harry stared at the avatar.

"That's the first time anyone has ever caused Tersan to realize a mistake in a very long time," Sheredar chuckled.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" Harry asked blankly.

Sheredar opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. "Uh…"

"Now that's the first time I've seen anybody silence YOU," Tersan remarked, turning back to face the avatar.

Abruptly, Auroran turned toward the forest, his eyes unfocused. "Sanctuary borders crossed. Dark emotions…"

"You wish to kill," Sheredar hissed sadistically, turning to glare lividly at something deep in the forest. "Can't hide it from me…"

"Life against life…" Calsor wondered to himself.

Harry glanced at Drakken, the only avatar who had yet to say anything.

"Death Eaters, a lot of them," Drakken noted casually, as though he were commenting on simple sweets. "But no Voldemort."

"Death Eaters?" Harry exclaimed in alarm. "Here?"

"Not quite," Auroran replied slowly. "I foresee their arrival an hour from now."

"Foresight?" Harry asked. "Any relation to Sibyl Trelawney?"

"The fragmented line?" Calsor suggested.

"Certainly not!" Auroran protested softly. "She's a natural seer, though not very…"

"I should go and warn Dumbledore about…" Harry said hurriedly, cutting him off.

"Do as you wish," Drakken said offhandedly, turning his gaze over the entire forest, looking into areas Harry could only wonder what avatars saw.

"…skilled," Auroran finished.

"A small fraction of our forces should be sufficient," Drakken calculated. "The rest can be kept for the grand project."

Harry heard nothing Drakken said, racing up back toward the castle at full speed.

"Has Harry forgotten how to warp…?" Auroran wondered aloud. No one answered him.

( 0 0 0 )

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry shouted as he burst into the headmaster's office.

"Harry?" Dumbledore started, glancing up from a parchment. "What seems to be the trouble?"

"Death Eaters!" Harry exclaimed breathlessly. "They're coming!"

"Death Eaters?" Dumbledore repeated softly. "Are you certain of this?"

Harry finally caught his breath. "Auroran has foreseen their arrival. A large force of them is heading here in one hour."

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly in the mention of the avatar's name, but he quickly stood from his desk and walked quickly over to his fireplace. Grasping a small amount of Floo powder from a small vase, he threw it in the fire.

"Alastor!" Dumbledore shouted. Seconds later, the familiar intimidating form of Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody stepped out of the fireplace.

"Emergency, Dumbledore?" Moody growled. "The time has finally come, hasn't it?"

"I do not think so," Dumbledore replied. "But according to Harry, this attack consists of a significant amount of Voldemort's forces."

"Voldemort's Horcruxes!" Harry suddenly exclaimed. Surprise jolted through him. Where had the thought come from?

Dumbledore suddenly stiffened in alarm. "Harry, I never told you about those," he said solemnly. His eyes suddenly widened.

"I sent the knowledge to him," a soft voice said from the doorway.

Harry whirled around, wand in hand.

"Is this yours?" the figure asked, fingering Harry's wand in his hand.

"Hey-!" Harry started, then glanced as his hand. It was empty. "That's my wand!"

The white clad figure's expression was not visible, for a hood covered the top half of his face. "Then what's that?"

Harry glanced back down toward his hand. The wand was there. "What…"

"Who are you?" Dumbledore demanded, drawing his own wand. Moody had already done so.

"Veran," the figure replied calmly. "You're Albus Dumbledore."

"Lightforce!" Harry understood. "Veran Drayar…" Harry stared at him. "But what… are you?"

"I am the force that the Avatar of the Light, Auroran, empowers," the figure responded. "I am a Banisher of the Light."

"That's not possible," Dumbledore whispered. "The Banishers were only legends even to the founders."

"Then," the Banisher said slowly, "what is that which stands before you?" A soft haze of light started radiating from the Banisher's cloak as magical winds gently fluttered them.

( 0 0 0 )

"Apparently we missed one," Sheredar sighed, leaning onto the side of a gargoyle that adorned the side of one of Hogwarts' many towers. He glanced over the castle lazily, barely noticing the dim pinpricks of light that signaled the arrival of more Banishers.

"How could we have missed that?" he sighed again. "Sticking his soul into that blasted snake…"

He stretched out his legs and rested them in midair. "Voldemort's back…"

"Great…"

"Don't look so down, Sheredar," Tersan said as he appeared standing on the side of the tower.

"Hey," Sheredar grumbled, glancing at Tersan. "Isn't gravity supposed to pull you down?"

Tersan shrugged. "I choose not to abide by it. You too."

Sheredar glanced at his own legs. "Oh shut up."

"The Rizen will take some time to get here," Tersan noted. "You know, I've never really liked them."

Sheredar shrugged. "Maybe it's because how I create them."

Tersan looked at the avatar for several seconds. "Perhaps," he finally replied, then vanished.

( 0 0 0 )

"All legends have a basis in fact," the Banisher said. "I hope you know that, Headmaster Dumbledore."

"The Horcruxes," Harry brought to attention.

The Banisher turned toward Harry slightly. "As you know, Voldemort created seven Horcruxes, each placed in a location difficult to reach. Six were destroyed, but one was missed." The Banisher tilted his head down slightly. "The avatars were not aware that Nagini, Voldemort's snake familiar, was also a Horcrux. She alone survived."

"But shouldn't Voldemort be in a weak spiritual state right now?" Dumbledore asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Headmaster…" Moody growled, gesturing with his wand. Dumbledore caught his eye and gently shook his head. Reluctantly, Moody lowered his wand slightly.

"That should have happened naturally, following the destruction of his body and Horcruxes," the Banisher explained. "However, Voldemort discovered that he could bring all the remaining pieces of his soul back together, giving him enough strength to coalesce into material form."

"Wait," Harry interrupted. "What happened to his body?"

"Tersan himself sent Voldemort's body and main part of his soul directly into Hell," the Banisher replied. "Apparently, Voldemort was able to return here thanks to his soul fragments acting as anchor points in this world."

"Hell actually exists?" Harry asked blankly.

"It's a resting place for the chaotic remains of magical conflicts," said the Banisher. "It was named Hell by the first sorcerers who discovered that realm. Efforts to tap Hell's powers were futile, for Hell's chaos was simply too great."

"Is there a Heaven?" Dumbledore asked.

A small smile appeared from the only exposed lower portion of the Banisher's face. "Heaven is a sanctuary created by the Eternal One, the god with the greatest mastery of magic," he said. "And yes, it's the same one as the Christian god."

A sudden blast of wind rattled the windows of the office, catching the Banisher's attention.

"Ah," the Banisher noted. "It seems that Calsor's druids have arrived."

"Druids?"

The Banisher nodded at Dumbledore. "Tersan is supplying a small portion of his forces to assist you in the defense of the castle, but you yourself must be prepared to defend yourselves as well."

"We'll do our best," Dumbledore replied. "I-no, _we_, thank you."

"Thank Tersan," said the Banisher as he vanished in a shower of light.

( 0 0 0 )

"So gloomy…" a bored motherly voice muttered from clouds of leaf green robes.

"Hmm?" Auroran glanced from the corner of his eye at the druid.

"The forest," the druid sighed. "It's missing lively spirit."

"It's bored," Auroran said slowly, peering at the forest. "Or at least I think…"

The druid shrugged her hood off, exposing a beautiful face with vivid green eyes and auburn red hair.

"Oh dear," Auroran said quietly.

The druid glanced at him. "Something wrong?"

"You look exactly like Lily Potter," Auroran observed. "That's going to cause some confusion if Harry sees you."

"Would it now?" the druid laughed. "Well then, when the time comes, I'll hide myself." Turning to the forest, she raised both hands at the trees. "What this forest needs within is some light." At once, the trees suddenly shot up toward the sky as they started growing rapidly higher and higher. Its once clustered branches opened up apart until wide spaces opened up between them. Sunlight streamed through the branches and into the forest throughout.

"Much better don't you think?" the druid breathed happily.

"I could have simply filled up the forest with light…" Auroran muttered under his breath.

"But then it wouldn't be natural!" the druid protested.

"Of course…"

( 0 0 0 )

Dumbledore moved quickly through Hogwarts' corridors followed by Harry and many other members of the Order as McGonagall's voice echoed through the corridors.

"…students are to remain within their dormitories until further notice," the professor was saying. "There is a Death Eater attack on the school in less than an hour. Any student not within their dormitories will be placing their own lives in danger."

Harry pulled the Marauder's Map from his pocket, quickly scanning its pages for any stray students in the school.

"Everyone is where they're supposed to be," Harry reported, putting the map back into his pocket. "All the secret passages have been covered by a member of the Order. Every other normal entrance have been enchanted shut."

"Magical traps have been set," an Order member informed them as he stepped out from a secret passageway from behind a tapestry. "This attack is for real?"

"No doubt about it," Dumbledore replied, turning the final corridor into the entrance hall. "Our sources have reported disappearances of many people we had been keeping an eye on."

Sirius, Remus, and the rest of the Hogwarts staff waited for them in front of the doors.

"So what's the battle plan?" Sirius asked as Dumbledore approached.

"_Defense_ plan Sirius," Dumbledore corrected, pointing his wand at the door. Muttering a string of arcane words under his breath, Dumbledore moved his wand in several directions. A thunderous clang reverberated through the door as a second door made entirely of an unknown metal slammed down behind the normal wooden doors. Another metal door clanged down seconds later in addition to the first.

"Headmaster…" Professor McGonagall stared at the gates in amazement. "What are those doors?"

"Hogwarts' defenses," Dumbledore replied. As he said that, more deep clangs were heard as similar metal doors slid closed on the remaining windows and doors in Hogwarts.

"How long can they hold?" Sirius asked.

"They were designed to protect the school against outside threats," said Dumbledore. "Since they were designed and built by the founders, they should hold for a while."

"Should I also return to the dormitory?" Harry inquired.

Dumbledore nodded. "Your friends might want to be assured of your well-being."

"I'll go," Harry agreed, then warped away.

( 0 0 0 )

The first thing he knew was that he was on the floor. The second thing he realized was that there was at least four people on him. The third thing he realized was that he couldn't breath under those people.

"I can't breath!" Harry managed to gasp. Quickly, the pressure eased.

"Harry mate!" Ron exclaimed, pulling Hermione up. "Where have you been all this time?"

"Busy Ron," Harry breathed.

Straightening her appearance, Hermione glared at Harry. "You haven't been to your classes lately, and when you're there, it's like you're always thinking about other things!" she scolded

"How are my grades?"

"Erm…" Hermione's retort faltered. Apparently, Harry's grades were second to her own. "But that's not the point!"

"Hiya Harry!" a cheerful voice interrupted from behind them. Harry turned around, only to have his eyes blinded by the flash of Colin Creevey's camera.

"Hi…Colin," Harry greeted, blinking his eyes to clear them. "Could you not, flash that too close to my eyes?"

"Oh sorry," Colin apologized, lowering his camera. Harry suddenly realized that for all Colin's eager nature, he was simply trying to become Harry's friend.

Smiling, Harry patted Colin on the shoulder. "It's alright," he said. "If you don't mind, try taking less pictures. Publicity at a time like this would be rather hazardous to my health."

Colin gave him and sheepish smile and replied, "I'll keep that in mind." He laughed weakly, then suddenly gasped in fear.

"Colin?" Hermione asked in alarm, and understood. The lights in the room dimmed as the air turned chillingly cold. All happiness was instantly gone and was replaced by the familiar, overwhelming fear.

"Dementors!" Ron cried, his voice quavering.

( 0 0 0 )

"Dear me…dear me," Sheredar chuckled, looking up at the darkening sky. "Those things are yours?"

Auroran looked up toward the swarm of Dementors circling the castle, sapping away warmth and happiness with their unholy powers. He didn't reply.

"I'm impressed."

A dark tendril suddenly shot out from Sheredar's back and snagged one of the Dementors around the middle, pulling it down until it was directly in front of him. Sheredar reached out with a hand and jerked the Dementor's hood off. Looking at the hideous face suck uselessly at his even darker nature, Sheredar gave a cold laugh.

"I had no idea the power of the Light had such Dark capability!" Sheredar praised gleefully, then sent a galvanic jolt of his power into the Dementor. With an inhumane cry, the Dementor tore apart into shards of cloth and ashy remains of its former being.

"The Dark however," Sheredar said in a near whisper. "Still reigns superior in areas of Dark specialty."

( 0 0 0 )

The golden light that encompassed the Gryffindor common room streamed from an upraised wand, providing warmth and light, acting as cover from the power of the Dementors.

"Is everyone alright?" Harry asked, sparing a small fraction of his concentration to ask. Several people nodded. Colin looked rather pale, but gave Harry a weak smile in return.

"I don't know how long I can hold this, so bear with me," Harry grunted.

( 0 0 0 )

A pair of small bare feet landed lightly on top of Gryffindor tower. Enveloped in swirling eddies of pure darkness, the child-sized figure dropped to a crouching position, placing its hands onto the ground onto an all-fours position. It crawled down over the roof until it was just above a gate sealed window of an empty dormitory.

Arching its back in an almost animal like posture, the darkness-shrouded figure raised its head and let loose a deafening screeching howl.

( 0 0 0 )

"The cry of a wraith is probably worse than the entire combined terrors of Hell," Sheredar thought aloud, seemingly oblivious to the wraith's power. "Compared to wraiths, Dementors are practically perfectionists."

"Dementors are formed from humans who have been cast entirely from the light, condemned to an eternity of darkness with an eternal hunger for light, warmth, and human joy," Sheredar continued. "Thus is their power. Wraiths on the other hand…" Sheredar chuckled softly. "I'd like to say are probably some of my best creations.

"To create a wraith, a human child is needed, one who is entirely innocent and completely unaware of what suffering is like. These types can be described as gentle, obedient, and carefree, such as Harry's adoring fan Colin Creevey…"

( 0 0 0 )

Harry's protective light was completely extinguished. The wraith's howl tore through Hogwarts' protective wards like light passing through empty space, ripping through the entire countryside, driving everything both living and nonliving into near insanity with agonizing terror.

Colin Creevey had backed himself up against a wall, both hands clutched over his ears in a futile gesture to ward off the wraith's power. His breath came in rapid, shallow gasps. Sweat poured down his face and down his chest, soaking into his shirt.

"_Please…make it go away…!"_ he cried feebly. _"Somebody please…help me…"_

One of his hands slid to his chest, clutching at the area close to his heart. His fingers tore at the front of his shirt furiously, as though trying to tear something out.

"_Oh god…"_ Colin cried in ragged sobs. Then he could no longer breath. The agony within his chest ignited with excruciating agony, spreading through his body, causing him to twitch erratically over the floor.

Slowly, as Colin's sight began to darken, a black fluid-like substance started to bleed from the corners of his eyes.

( 0 0 0 )

The wraith's howl stopped.

"A wraith creates other wraiths through their cries, though whether it is intentional or not, I am uncertain," said Sheredar, watching the wraith on Gryffindor tower leap from tower to tower. "The fear essence carried in the cry is in fact the very essence of the wraith itself. Those who are young and pure enough will soak up this essence and, essentially, become a wraith."

A small smile pulled at the corners of the avatar's mouth. "Of course, the transition is not pleasant, given that wraiths are so vile. The human soul will suffer in incomprehensible agony as it is taken over." The smile abruptly vanished. "Oh dear. It seems that a new wraith has been spawned. I suppose it would be wise to prevent other spawning for the time being."

( 0 0 0 )

Lights he had never seen before swam across his vision, identifying the living essence of life pulsating around him. He was lying on the floor. Confusion swam through his mind, but no thoughts came to mind. Unnatural primal instincts of another creature coursed through him, driving him to search, to SEARCH.

For what he didn't know, but he just had to keep on _searching…_

With supernatural ability, he pulled his lower legs back while he lifted his body up. He was now kneeling on slightly splayed legs, while his back was slightly arched.

"_Colin!"_

He raised his head up, searching for the source of the faint cry.

_There._

A man-child, nearing adulthood, shouting at him. Unlike the rest, this one had an amazing spirit, a formidable resistance to his power, if he was thinking of converting him.

"_Colin! Are you alright?"_

That person again. He scowled. That person was getting annoying. A deep-throated snarl came from deep within him and he lunged. At the last second, long before the other could react, something of incredible power knocked him forcibly aside.

"Foul entity of the Dark, aside," the newcomer said solemnly. "Away from the living, whom are not to be trifled by your kind."

He snarled at the newcomer's centered essence, and launched.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry watched the gray-cloaked figure and darkness surrounded Colin in both horror and amazement.

"Stand back!" the figure shouted. "Don't let it touch you!"

The dark Colin shifted position. Harry was just about to call out a warning, but the figure reacted faster than he had expected. The figure extended a hand just as Colin leapt.

An array of white bone shot out of the figure's fingertips into a protective web, deflecting Colin aside.

"What is that?" Ron shouted, pulling Hermione back.

"A _wraith_," the figure said, distaste lacing his voice. "Newly spawned from another older, more power wraith."

"And what are you?"

The figure deflected another one of the Colin-wraith's attacks. "I…" the figure grunted, twisting his bone shield to throw the wraith aside.

"…am a necromancer."

( 0 0 0 )

"You're lucky he showed up in time," Drakken scolded. "Otherwise Tersan would have been seriously displeased."

Sheredar frowned. "Don't rub it in," he grumbled. "It would take an avatar or an Arbiter to stop an attacking wraith."

Both of the avatars stood outside the castle, both gazing at the same tower.

"So what would it take?" Drakken asked.

( 0 0 0 )

The Colin-wraith paused as it landed, one foot on the ceiling and the other on the wall. It hissed at the necromancer, releasing clouds of poisonous vapor.

The necromancer chanted words under his breath, creating a similar cloud that canceled out the Colin-wraith's.

Abruptly, the wraith moved…and vanished from sight…reappearing right next to Harry.

"_You're mine!"_ the wraith spat through Colin's shredded voice, lunging toward Harry's neck with an outstretched hand.

Harry couldn't move; terror rooted him to the spot. In the corner of his eye, he could see the necromancer moving to intercept the wraith, but the necromancer was moving too slow.

A blazing pillar of light suddenly shot up, throwing Harry and the wraith apart. A figure made of seemingly energy and lightning stepped forth out of the pillar toward the wraith.

"My apologies for my tardiness," the figure spoke, its voice sounding coming from random directions. "I will address this problem."

The wraith leapt back onto all fours and sprinted, attempting to go around the figure toward Harry.

"You're too slow," the figure said informatively, snagging the wraith around its neck with a crackling hand.

Shrieking, the wraith tried to free itself, but to no avail. The figure drew back its arm and flung the wraith back at the wall.

The moment the wraith struck the wall, Harry _saw._ A pale, white shrouded ghostly of Colin bounced out of his body, his face contorted with pain. But his eyes looked at Harry pleadingly, as though…

"He wishes for death," the blazing figure stated. "I can deliver it."

"But that's Colin!" Harry protested, pulling himself back to his feet. "You have to do something!"

Colin's ghostly form closed its eyes, and finally fell back into its wraith body, darkness overtaking it.

"There is nothing more I can do for him," the figure replied. "As an Arbiter of Tersan Anthrias, I must destroy him to protect every other living person around him." He raised a blazing hand, and lightning intensified on it with a whining screech.

Suddenly, the wraith's eyes snapped open. The Arbiter let loose his attack, but the wraith was suddenly enveloped with robes of liquid darkness. The blast passed through clouds of darkness as the wraith phased away and struck the wall, tearing apart the stone into a gaping hole to the outside of the tower.

"Its powers have already begun to develop," the Arbiter said warningly as the wraith reappeared on the other side of the room. "I must destroy it before it becomes any stronger." He raised both hands this time and released a tremendous torrent of power at the wraith.

The wraith phased away again. The Arbiter attacked again.

Over the noise of shattering rocks and thundering lightning, Harry screamed, "At this rate, the tower will be destroyed!"

The Arbiter didn't reply as it whirled around to fire another blast at the wraith, which had reappeared outside the tower. This time, as the lightning crackled by and faded, Harry was astonished to see cracks in midair, as though the space itself was damaged.

"Colin…?" A small head poked itself from behind a couch. "Colin, where are you?"

Harry turned around, identifying the head. "Dennis no! Get back!"

The wraith seemed to turn its head in its mass of liquid darkness and spot the small boy. Phasing away from another of the Arbiter's attacks, it reappeared behind Dennis Creevey, pulling him into the air with one arm around his neck and the other locked on his jaw.

"Hey-! Put me down!" Dennis screamed, trying to pull the wraith's arms off. "Colin help!"

If there was any part of Colin left in the wraith no one knew, for the wraith did not stop. The wraith pulled Dennis close to itself until its body was pressed against the boy's. Layers of darkness pulled backwards from its head until it exposed a face.

"Colin!" Dennis was crying. Then, as the wraith leaned its head over Dennis's shoulder, the young Gryffindor looked at it, and shrieked.

"_Let go of me! Colin! Hel-!"_ His cry for help was cut as the wraith's arm around Dennis's neck tightened, choking him. The wraith bared its teeth and opened its mouth.

"It's going to howl!" the Arbiter exclaimed. He stood sideways and raised his hand, building up his power again. "I have no choice. There cannot be another one."

_ENOUGH._

Sheredar was suddenly standing in the air in front of the wraith; a dark expression on his face. The Arbiter's power snapped out of existence and the wraith's mouth closed slightly.

"Release him."

Faced with a power and darkness greater than itself, the wraith dropped Dennis to the floor. Abruptly, Sheredar moved so fast that even the wraith had no time to react, and clutched a hand on the wraith on the forehead, dispersing the rivers of darkness around the wraith with ease.

"There are things that I can do that you cannot do Arbiter," Sheredar said calmly.

The Arbiter bowed his head in respect to Sheredar's superiority. "I hear you Sheredar, Avatar of the Dark." The necromancer, who was protecting a group of students from the chaos with his bone shield, had also bowed his head.

"The powers of an avatar are far beyond what they create and control," said Sheredar. "Remember that."

With a sound like a snapping cable, the darkness swirling around the wraith exploded away. Sheredar released his hand, and the limp body of Colin Creevey dropped to the floor, his body covered by the burnt and torn remnants of his school uniform.

"Colin!" Dennis cried happily, clutching his older brother's body. "Colin, are you alright?"

Groggily, Colin opened his brown eyes, which had been formerly black. "Dennis? What's going on…?" he asked tiredly. "I'm all worn out…" Having said so, Colin collapsed onto his younger brother, asleep. Laughing with relief, Dennis embraced his brother.

"Harry."

Harry jumped, startled to find Sheredar standing at his side. "Yeah?"

Sheredar looked at Harry in the eye so intently that Harry could almost feel the power of the avatar pushing against him.

"You must never tell Colin that he is a wraith, or allow him to come near any other wraiths," Sheredar warned severely. "Otherwise, he will turn back into a wraith."

"He's still a wraith?" Harry whispered in alarm.

Sheredar nodded slowly. "Restoring him completely is not possible, even for me. However, perhaps…" He stopped. "Never mind."

A flash of green light from the forest caught their attention.

"It looks like the Death Eaters are finally here," Sheredar said.

"Hey…" Harry remarked. "Why is it so dark?" Sheredar pointed up. Harry glanced up. "Is that…?" he breathed, eyes widening.

"That is the other wraith," Sheredar replied flatly. "I told it to chase away the Dementors."

"But…" Harry stared at the Dementors, "why are the Dementors running away from it?"

Sheredar looked at Harry from the corner of his eye. "Tell me Harry, how did it feel to be under the power of the wraith compared to the effects of a Dementor?"

Harry stiffened. "Don't…ask…that…" he whispered.

"Wraiths are far more vile and powerful than simple Dementors," Sheredar said informatively. "Did you know that Auroran created them?"

Harry nodded slowly. "He told me already."

Sheredar suddenly thrust out a hand, blocking a jet of green light that appeared a split second later.

"What was that?"

"Killing curse," Sheredar replied, looking at his hand, a slight expression of displeasure on his face.

"No effect on you?" Harry asked curiously.

Sheredar snorted. "Effect? Avatars of our level cannot be killed, not even by Tersan. To eliminate us, we must be dismissed by our creator."

"He's never going to do that is he?"

To Harry's surprise, Sheredar's expression darkened slightly. "I sure hope not," he replied softly as Death Eaters started to appear from the forest.


	28. The Project Begins

**A/N:** I couldn't decide on how to write this. Too many conflicting ideas. Lucky for me

I managed to decide on something. I thank all my reviewers for reviewing. The more I get, the more inspiration I have! And to answer one of my reviewer's questions, Tersan's name was something that took me several days to make up, so I don't think that Tersan actually means anything in real life. Try searching it up if you want. I'd be curious to know what it may be if it exists.

Anyway, chapter up!

The Project Begins

Tersan gazed up toward the infinite depths of the universe, searching through places on visible by any other magical entity other than himself. Something caught his attention.

"That can't be…" he said aloud. "I thought he left…"

The magical signature flickered in its essence, sending waves of magic at him.

"Yes I know," Tersan replied. "It's been quite a while. Most fortunate of you to return now, for I have a project of which I request your help."

The signature flared slightly.

"You will assist?" Tersan echoed, raising his eyebrows. "I shall wait for your return then."

( 0 0 0 )

Auroran was standing side by side with Calsor easily throwing aside Death Eaters when they heard the call, or rather, the rumbling echo of the magical essence making itself present into their dimension.

"He's here," Auroran breathed, ejecting a tremendous force of power from his palm. "The _Source_ has returned."

Calsor danced out of the way of Auroran's power and vaulted over the avatar. Snakes erupted out of the ground as his feet landed lightly, slithering with blinding speed into the trees, each one with a different Death Eater on its mind. Placing his fingers to his lips, Calsor let out a trilling whistle no human could ever mimic.

The sky abruptly darkened as it became filled with countless creatures of all eras, from drakes and harpies to dragons and world serpents, all descending from the sky through brilliant flares of light, very much like the northern lights. The creatures landed gently onto a field of light generated by Auroran and swarmed out over the entire countryside, visible to all magical and not.

Suddenly, the ground thundered furiously. Out of the ground miles from the castle, a circular range of mountains tore from the ground high into the air, forming an encompassing and impenetrable barrier reaching so high that the castle and its grounds were covered with darkness.

"Nothing will go in or out…" Auroran said sternly, erecting a shield dome with an upraised hand around the outside of the range. A violent crackling appeared on a part of the shield, and several Death Eaters appeared from the furious electrical storm, falling helplessly to their deaths as their Portkey collided with the avatar's unmoving power.

Satisfied with their surroundings, the two avatars abruptly vanished from the field, leaving the bulk of Voldemort's trapped forces to be dealt with by Calsor's summoning.

( 0 0 0 )

"I'm glad you're here," Tersan greeted as Auroran and Calsor appeared at Tersan's sides. "I can never fully repay you for what you have done for me."

The _Source_ materialized out of the darkness. Tersan wasn't surprised as he saw himself look straight back at him and smile.

"It has been a long time indeed," the _Source_ said. "You must be mystified as to why I have returned from worlds afar."

"One does wonder," Tersan replied. "Why would Eirikr, Source of Avatars, return to a world he has once visited before?"

"First," Eirikr replied, his voice echoing over several different tones, "Is to revisit the most powerful _Supremacy _capable entity I helped create. Second, I have a stray I need to pick up."

"How kind of you," Tersan replied sarcastically. "Have you finally lost your form?"

Eirikr nodded, causing his entire body to shift into other forms before allowing it to disperse into a cloud of glowing particles

"Only in form," Eirikr said, coalescing back into Tersan's form. "The essence remains the same as ever." He gestured with his hand. A formless being made entirely of light appeared at his side. "I am leaving a beacon here to light my way back to this world in the chance you need my help again in the future." The figure disappeared.

"Do you foresee impending danger?" Tersan asked, his power expanding to encompass both entities. "Should I act to…?"

"That would not be necessary," Eirikr said, gently waving away Tersan's ambience. "Not unless there were two of your level fighting for this position…"

"All of us avoid such a conflict," Tersan said, turning his gaze upwards as the dark night sky suddenly appeared out of nowhere, rushing down toward them until they were in the stars. "The ancient conflict between the Eternal One and the Infernal One has proven most chaotic. Their fame has spread across even the mortal realms."

Eirikr turned his gaze to the side and pinpointed a single floating speck of light. "Is this the world you wish to use as a template?"

"That is it," Tersan replied. From their cosmic scale, each individual galaxy was merely a spot of light. "My world of origin."

"Rare…" Eirikr commented. "Few would choose their home world as a design template."

Tersan gazed at Eirikr flatly. "I am not one of those few. Do you understand what I plan on creating?"

Eirikr frowned for a moment, then widened his eyes in astonishment. "A Master Creation? The complete construction of a Grand Project completely different from the first Grand Design?"

"Do you doubt my ability?" Tersan raised an eyebrow.

"Not at all," Eirikr replied quickly. "I thought you simply wanted to replicate this world."

Tersan gave a bark of laughter. "Most certainly not. Such a task is mere child's play for me."

Eirikr looked at him seriously for a moment. "If you desire it so, then let us proceed without delay."

Auroran and Calsor snapped to attention as Tersan started drawing the full extent of his powers.

( 0 0 0 )

"It seems that the time is drawing close," Sheredar said abruptly. "A Project is taking place soon. All of us will be away. Hold your ground until our return."

Harry turned away from the group of students he was directing to the dorms. "What are you talking about?"

The avatar regarded Harry calmly, though he seemed either nervous or excited before answering. "World Project."

"I'm sorry?" Harry stared at the avatar blankly. "What project?"

But the avatar didn't reply. Instead, he smiled broadly and leapt through the hole in the wall. Torrents of liquid darkness flooded from the avatar's cloak into two sets of fluidic wings that expanded out and over the entire mountain circle, plunging the entire castle and all of its grounds into absolute darkness.

Sheredar landed lightly in the air inches above the ground, grinning broadly at the trapped Death Eaters on the field.

"_Let us begin!"_

( 0 0 0 )

Countless avatars held in place a distance beyond infinity as two supernatural entities conversed, contemplating about what designs should be implemented.

"Why after this Earth?" Eirikr inquired, pulling the planet into sight. "There are so many more out there in other multiverses."

"Because I originated from this world," Tersan replied, rotating the planet around. "I have a rather fond attachment to it."

"But the essences that run through it," Eirikr sighed, glancing wearily at Tersan. "They are not pure…"

"I haven't seen a pure essence world before," Tersan remarked, waving the planet away. "Nor have you as far as I recall."

"There was _one_…" Eirikr muttered.

"Eternal One's world," they said in unison.

"Mind you he made it that way," Tersan pointed out. "Despite it being pure already in the first place…"

They both fell silent for a moment.

"I'm going to need Supremacy for this," Tersan noted.

"For a project of this scale, most certainly," Eirikr agreed. "However, to reach that…"

Tersan turned away from Eirikr. "I would be leaving Harry defenseless if Voldemort decides to attack again. There would be no one left to protect him."

"How about his cousin Alexander?" Eirikr suggested. "I believe he still retains the knowledge you gave him."

"It will only be a matter of time before even Alexander is defeated by Voldemort," Tersan said. "Hopefully, I can complete this project before then."

Eirikr looked at Tersan thoughtfully. "Are you starting to care for mortals now?"

Tersan gave a small smile. "Despite all my power, I never truly had the chance to properly associate with humanity to develop all my human traits. Perhaps there is no point now, but there's no harm in regaining what I can in the time being."

"Amazing," Eirikr said softly after several moments of silence. "Never before have I seen a _Supremacy _class being take the time to rediscover their former selves. Tersan is truly the first of a new generation, perhaps even the last."

Not noticing Eirikr's statement, Tersan tilted his head back slightly and started speaking.

"Together we will become, once before and once again.

Under the Light, Within the Dark

With the Living, Onto the Dead

Began by Creation, Ended by Destruction

From the Beginning, Until the End

For Eternity, Supremacy shall reign!"

( 0 0 0 )

Auroran stiffened in the middle of negative space, a zone of infinite distance outside the multiverse. Tersan's command passed through even the barriers of dimensions to reach him, empowering his body and mind with its particular type of magical essence. Taking a deep breath, he addressed,

"Light is a symbol of Order, the essence of Truth.

With my strength, peace be preserved.

Under my power, all shall see.

Through my being, reign supreme!"

The avatar closed his eyes for the final time as his body turned to pure light, never to be open again.

The shield around Hogwarts collapsed.

( 0 0 0 )

Sheredar suddenly smiled grimly as he suddenly faltered while executing a curse on a towering giant. Catching himself, he finished the spell and the creature tore apart from the inside with countless shards of black obsidian. Every being around him suddenly faltered in their own movements as Sheredar spoke aloud to in both body and mind,

"Dark is a symbol of Order, the essence of Deception.

With my presence, balance is preserved.

In my shadows, secrets are hidden.

Through my being, reign supreme!"

Laughing softly as raindrops started falling from the sky conjured by the result of various spells in the distance, Sheredar sang in a chilling tone as his body dispersed into vast floods of pure darkness, swirling away into nothingness.

In the remnants of Gryffindor tower in the boys' dormitory, Colin Creevey's eyes turned black.

( 0 0 0 )

Calsor looked sad as he struck down another Death Eater who was only trying to flee Hogwarts. The wizard was barely nineteen. Abruptly, he smiled as he heard Tersan's call. Turning his gaze upwards toward the sky, he said,

"The Living is a part of Chaos, always changing never ending.

From its birth to its death, its life is determined by itself.

Life can only be guided, for it evolves beyond any control.

Through my being, reign supreme!"

With that, Calsor sighed and dispersed in a shower of a multitude of lights.

( 0 0 0 )

Standing on the top of one of Hogwarts' many towers, Drakken shuddered as he began to speak the words he always longed for and yet dreaded.

"The Dead is a part of Chaos, always present never leaving.

To end those on their time, chance is given for others to take their place.

Death is always there waiting, relentlessly restless to work.

Through my being, reign supreme!"

In a violent crack of silver lighting that coursed down the tower walls, Drakken vanished.

( 0 0 0 )

The final two avatars were standing in the middle of the grounds of the school, the actual forces keeping the battle under control. Observing from outside that world's reality, the Avatar of Creation and Avatar of Destruction gave the battle one last glance before turning to each other.

"It begins with Creation," Creation said.

"It ends with Destruction," Destruction stated.

"The inevitable cycle of all that exists," they said, their voices overlapping.

"We wait with eternal patience, from the beginning to the end.

For we are the embodiments of the origins, source of all that does and does not exist.

Our purpose is to govern the balance of magic, the mystical force infinite power controlled by limitless imagination."

"I am Creation, Embodiment of the Beginning."

"I am Destruction, Embodiment of the End."

"We stand on Eternity above all else. Our authority will remain forever, regardless of our position."

The avatars lost cohesion as their forms turned into brilliant lights across the entire spectrum and beyond. In a last thundering echo of their power, they shouted,

"HARRY POTTER, HEIR OF THE FOUNDERS! PREVAIL!"

( 0 0 0 )

Harry stiffened in alarm as the castle suddenly shook with a sudden shock as an incredible surge of power threatened to topple the school. He was not surprised by the shaking of the ground underneath his feet, but the jolt he felt in his very being at the castle's reaction to the force.

"What…?" he breathed, clutching his chest as the painful throbbing in it faded away.

Near him, Ron released Hermione, who nearly fell over onto a nearby student from the movement.

"Do be careful Ron," Hermione chided. "You may have kept me from falling over, but try not to drop me on somebody else!"

"Sorry about that," Ron apologized, chuckling lightly. Harry's short breaths caught his attention. "Harry, you alright mate?"

"I'm fine," Harry said quickly. "Nothing's–"

"You're a terrible liar Harry," Hermione interrupted, gazing sternly at Harry. "What's wrong?"

Defeated, Harry explained, "When Hogwarts shook from that blast, I _felt_ it."

"You felt the shock?" Ron asked.

"It hurt," Harry replied, exasperated. "I never felt anything like it before."

"You felt what the castle felt?" Hermione asked slowly, thinking.

Harry glanced at Hermione suspiciously. "What are you getting at?"

Before Hermione could reply, the dormitory portrait burst open and Sirius rushed in.

"Harry!" Sirius gasped, breathing heavily. "The avatars have disappeared and the Death Eaters have regrouped to attack!"

"They left?" Harry repeated, unable to believe his ears. Then, Sheredar's words returned to him.

"_It seems that the time is drawing close_. _A Project is taking place soon. All of us will be away. Hold your ground until our return,"_ Sheredar had said

"Of course," Harry whispered. "The Project."

"Project?" Hermione inquired. "What Project are you talking about?"

"Sheredar spoke of a World Project before he left the tower," Harry answered, gesturing toward the repaired hole in the wall. "I didn't know what he was saying at the time."

"World Project?" Hermione repeated, surprised. "Professor Flitwick mentioned that term once a few weeks back."

"What is it?" Sirius asked.

Hermione shook her head. "He didn't go into detail."

"Whatever it is, it'll have to wait," said Sirius. "We have a defense to attend to."

Harry agreed and left tower behind Sirius, followed by Ron and Hermione.

"What's with all the metal coverings on the windows?" Ron asked. "Did someone conjure them?"

"Dumbledore activated them," Sirius replied. "It seems that they are some sort of defense built into Hogwarts."

"They're attack shielding," Harry said suddenly. "Built a thousand years ago to repel attacks by other conquering wizards during the old times."

Sirius and Hermione stopped dead in their tracks.

"What did you say?" they asked.

Harry looked at them. "I'm not really sure," he said. "The words just came to me. I'm starting to know secrets about the school as if they're old memories returning to the surface of my mind."

Sirius looked at his godson with concern. "Come on. Let's go to Dumbledore's office and see find out the cause of this."

( 0 0 0 )

White. Black. Green. Grey. Gold. Red.

Six separate masses of magical colors orbited around Tersan like planets around a sun. The empty spaced roared with the combined power of the avatars, now no more than a gathering of tremendous power.

Tersan raised his arms out the sides and closed his eyes. Energy coursed like lighting down his arms as the powers of his avatars surged in their entirety into him. As blinding light encompassed Tersan's body until no mortal eye could gaze upon him, six wings miles across surged out of his back, each wing alternating colors and essences as each avatar's power rotated through. The changes occurred so rapidly that Tersan looked as though he had an aura of shifting light behind him.

Eirikr watched apprehensively. Tersan was very different from every other _Supremacy_ being he had ever met. Though Tersan's power was directly from his influence, he had never expected Tersan to become what he was.

A _Supremacy_ being still in contact with mortality, a state of being considered completely insignificant to their status. It was like trying to associate with ants, which had no idea what the person would be saying or attempting to convey through actions.

Tersan Anthrias was one of these extremely rare types of Supreme Beings, for the only others known was the Eternal One himself and his enemy Infernal One.

Slowly, the six multicolored wings coalesced into one massive white pair of wings, wrapping themselves around Tersan's body until he was completely hidden in its light. Suddenly, the wings flared blindingly and melded together, forming a pure white cloak that billowed around Tersan for miles away, its true length hidden in much higher realms as it passed into and out of reality.

Light flowed like fluidic gas around Tersan's form as his power breached the limit of infinite power, reaching the level that made him the most powerful Supreme Being to ever exist.

A sudden burst of power caused Tersan's hood to be blown from his head, revealing divine features that would have tempted the hearts of any and everything mortal to Supreme. His eyes were closed as his power continued to increase with each passing second, fortifying his position as what he was.

Eirikr watched in pure wonder and utter amazement at Tersan's power, its capability beyond even what he himself could dream of.

"You are truly the greatest of the greatest," Eirikr whispered in awe. "You have the respect of all our kind, as a god even among us."

Several seconds of silence passed after Eirikr's statement, aside from the rushing and surging force of Tersan's power. Tersan raised his arms and his power stilled, surrounding him in a gentle swirling cyclone under his feet. His cloak retracted until they comfortably surrounded him, swaying lightly from unseen magical winds.

His eyes opened. Eirikr was suddenly nearly overwhelmed from the sheer intensity of Tersan's gaze and was forced to call thousands of his avatars to shunt aside the power.

"Tersan!" Eirikr protested indignantly. "You're going to blow me away!"

There was no movement or sign of any kind, but Eirikr was suddenly free of the onslaught, drained of his energy in his effort to preserve himself.

'_What is he?'_ Eirikr thought furiously. _'I am always in _Supremacy_ state! He nearly brought my existence to an end, which is impossible for our kind…'_

"My apologies Eirikr," Tersan said, his voice so light that it seemed that a wind had spoken it. "I had forgotten what I was capable of in this state."

Releasing his avatars, Eirikr drew on his own powers, reaching an impressive level of power, though no longer as near as Tersan's.

"Are you ready to begin?" Eirikr asked, drawing immensely complex glowing blue ethereal lines in space outlining their plans, giving off a faint mist as it changed accordingly to Eirikr's thoughts.

Tersan's cloak billowed out once more as it became illuminated with light.

"I always am."

( 0 0 0 )

"You can feel the castle?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Harry keenly. "I've only heard of rumors from the architect wizards who tried to find out Hogwarts secrets that the founders could feel what the castle felt."

"It would seem that they were right," Dumbledore continued. "But for you to feel Hogwarts, that would mean that you would have to be at least one of the founders' heirs."

Harry blinked at the headmaster in surprise. "I'm sorry Professor, but an heir?"

"I trust you know the term," Dumbledore stated flatly. "After all, you did pull Gryffindor's sword from his hat."

"The Sorting Hat is Gryffindor's?" Harry asked sharply. "But why would he…?"

"Use something like that to sort students?" said Dumbledore. "I'm afraid that he took that secret with him to the grave." He blinked his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Now then, back to the matter at hand."

Harry nodded. "I don't actually feel the castle, but it's like I _am_ Hogwarts. If I concentrate, I can locate anything and anyone in the castle. With enough practice, I should be able to do that at leisure."

"You also mentioned that there was pain when the castle shook," Dumbledore pointed out.

"It's probably a warning, a signal that the castle is in danger," Harry thought aloud. He gestured with his head to the sealed window. "I also know what those are, how they work, and how to control them. Even now, I can feel the pressure on the wards from the presence of the Death Eaters."

Dumbledore pondered Harry's words for several moments. "Remarkable," he said finally. "It would seem then that you are truly the heir of Hogwarts. Considering your unique ability with the school, there is no denying the fact any longer."

"But how?" Harry questioned. "Why did it show up now? And why am _I _the heir?"

Before Dumbledore could reply, the office doors banged open and Alexander rushed in.

"Harry!" Alexander breathed. "There are Death Eaters–"

"Trying to break in from the southeast door," Harry finished, standing up straight. He turned toward Dumbledore. "Professor, I think I understand why I have this position."

Before Dumbledore could formulate a reply, Harry left the office with Alexander.

As they descended the spiraling stairs, Harry listened to the signals sent into his body from the essence of Hogwarts. Whatever happened in the school was like a feeling he had somewhere in his being, and he knew exactly what it was and where it took place. But not only that, Harry could hear the castle telling him all of its secrets.

"Alex," Harry said. "Let's take a shortcut."

His cousin glanced at him in surprise, but quickly agreed to the proposal. Harry stepped off of the rotating stairs the moment they reached the floor. Turning to a nearby wall, Harry pressed his hand against the stones and whispered a word under his breath. Instantly, the stones glowed with light and parted, revealing what seemed to be the corridor beyond the wall.

"Instant gateway to your destination," Harry mused aloud. "Much better than secret passageways." He stepped through. "Alex, what're you waiting for?"

Alex inspected the gateway apprehensively before also stepping through. "I never knew these things existed."

Harry shrugged. "I don't think even Dumbledore knew about these." The gateway illuminated with light once more as it reformed itself back into a wall. Soon, rapid footsteps were heard as teachers and aurors rounded the corner, running towards the doorway where Death Eaters were suddenly rushing through.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _a Death Eater snarled, aiming at Alex, who dodged the curse with ease.

"I can't seem but wonder if the Death Eaters _want_ us to know what they want to do," Alex wondered, wordlessly casting a muting and blinding spell on the Death Eater. "Casting their spells out loud like that." He shook his head as he sent a crackling wave of lightning from his wand into a nearby crowd of Death Eaters to secure his retreat.

"That's quite a lot, don't you think?" Harry asked, using what knowledge he had left from Tersan to hold back the Death Eaters as his reinforcements started to arrive.

"Bloody hell Potter!" Moody wheezed as he _clunk_ ran to Harry's side. "How on earth did you get here so quickly? We sent your cousin only a few minutes ago!"

Harry gave the ex-auror a sheepish smile. "I guess I know my way around the castle."

Moody growled in response and launched himself into the fray with a startling cackle.

A sudden blinding explosion flattened part of the Death Eater crowd followed by a series of cheering whoops and laughs.

"It actually works! Yes!" a pair of voices shouted.

Harry blinked his eyes through the smoke as he recognized the voices with joy. "Fred! George!"

"Howya doin Harry?" the voices said together.

"You're not doing too bad," Fred said as he strode casually through a cloud of swirling smoke.

"How's school for you so far?" George asked as he pulled another colorful round object out of his robes and lobbed it over his shoulder. "I heard that Remus was teaching this year."

Harry abruptly twisted around and barely parried a powerful curse, sending back one of his own in response. "I'll tell you about it when this is over!" Harry promised, moving behind a statue for cover.

The twins grinned at each other and pulled more various objects out as George's erupted into an inferno of fire.

The corridor shook with earth jarring force as the wall around the door caved in, allowing more Death Eaters to swarm in.

"Kill everyone in the castle!" one Death Eater shouted. "Leave no one alive and do not waste time on torture!"

Growling in anger, Moody blew apart the Death Eater's head. "Not if I have something to say about it!" As he deflected and launched curses, Moody was suddenly thrown aside by an incredible power cast by a lone wizard standing in black robes, his features hidden by his hood, but eyes visible as they glowed a vivid red.

"Voldemort," Moody grimaced.

"Me," Voldemort hissed, raising his wand in his slender fingered hand.

"Do not forget me Tom," a calm serene voice said. Dumbledore stepped up next to Moody. "I am always here."

Voldemort nearly gasped in surprise. "You are dead! I saw it myself!"

"I was brought back by a friend's friend," Dumbledore replied softly, drawing his wand. "Now then, onto business." He attacked.

"On the offensive?" Voldemort deflected the attack and vanished, reappearing further down the corridor. "Or are you getting desperate?"

"The desperate one should be you," Dumbledore said, moving down the corridor after the Dark Lord. "You even resort to attacking innocent schoolchildren. How inhumane of you."

"Being human is being weak," Voldemort said, sending a jet of green light down the corridor.

"Then why are you driven by human desires?" Dumbledore summoned a nearby statue to block the incoming spell. "Those who stray from humanity end up leaving this world. Do you wish to die here and move on?"

"I am immortal," Voldemort spat. "I will not die."

"Those who seek to prolong their life through the lives of others can never become true immortals, ones that cannot die except by their own choice," Dumbledore said, launching intense bolts of luminous energy. "You will always have a weakness, no matter what you do."

"Don't lecture me old man!" Voldemort snarled, suddenly appearing directly in front of Dumbledore. _"Avada Kedavra!"_

The spell hit empty air as the headmaster vanished into thin air and returned back behind Voldemort.

"I will not leave so quickly Tom," Dumbledore admonished. "Even though I have managed to return from death, I do not wish to return to it anytime soon."

( 0 0 0 )

"An artificially constructed world is not easy for a beginner to do," Eirikr said. "Have you any experience in this work?"

"None," Tersan replied. "But I will have to start someplace to gain that experience."

"Very true," Eirikr said. "Then this world is a single construction attempt? You will not be attempting to create another if it fails?"

Tersan nodded. "Yes. If I cannot create a sanctuary for myself, then I shall be at war with myself."

Eirikr didn't say anything. A Supremacy capable being at war with itself was as bad as a multiverse collapsing on itself.

"The best qualities of the good, and the worst qualities of the bad," Tersan muttered. "Bland terms, but this language does not offer what I wish to express." Worlds began to appear, expanding into solar systems, then outwards into galaxies in countless, and finally into a full dimension. It happened again, and again, and again, faster and faster until the process was no longer visible.

Each dimension was a separate version from the other, providing Tersan a series to choose from, then to improve upon.

"Not long until completion," Tersan announced. "Let's hope I find what I need."

Eirikr closed his eyes and focused on his avatars, drawing more power from them to reshape the reality into the necessary form for their work.

"I found it," Tersan said abruptly. Eirikr glanced over in surprise.

"So soon?"

"Only the foundation," Tersan corrected. "I will have to work on its composition before giving it essence."

"Do you require any assistance?" Eirikr inquired.

Tersan worked at a level even Eirikr could not see, but was able to reply. "Observe the way the Eternal and Infernal function. Perhaps I can borrow a part of their work as a guide to my own." He paused. "I am _not_ copying them."

Eirikr scoffed.

( 0 0 0 )

"Tell me," Voldemort hissed. "What was death like?"

Dumbledore sidestepped Voldemort's curse. "There isn't much to it. I resided in a wonderfully peaceful beach house enjoying lemon drops when someone was sent to bring me back here."

"Sounds pleasant," Voldemort replied sarcastically. "But much too boring."

Dumbledore launched a series of spells at the Dark Lord. "Your loss."

Without warning, Voldemort conjured up a massive cloud of dark smoke, obscuring Dumbledore's view of him. Caught off guard, Dumbledore was struck with a spell that rendered all his senses numb; his sight, smell, taste, feel, and hearing.

"Return to death old man," Voldemort sneered, appearing behind Dumbledore. _"Avada –"_

A violent flash of flame forced Voldemort to twist away from Dumbledore, who stumbled.

"Stay away from him," Alexander warned, his wand upraised. "I didn't go through all that to bring Dumbledore back only to lose him like this."

"So you're the one that they say is Potter's cousin," Voldemort noted. "Even if your powers are as they say, you are no match for me."

Alexander hid his grimace. "We'll see."

Voldemort laughed, raising his wand. "Let's begin!"

Curses started flying immediately. "You're not bad," Voldemort said. "With enough practice, you can even become more powerful than your cousin."

"What are you talking about?" Alexander demanded, twisting one of Voldemort's curses back to him.

"You can be greater than Harry Potter himself," Voldemort said majestically. "Receive all the praise and attention you should have instead of him being in the spotlight all the time."

"I could never do that to my own cousin!" Alexander protested.

"Who said to do anything to him?" Voldemort countered. "Stand on top of society. You have powers beyond what Harry knows."

Alexander faltered, nearly losing his footing. "I…"

Tersan's words came back to him during his time as an avatar.

"_Status in society or power over others is nothing compared to the significance of an avatar. Power over yourself and your abilities is the true form of mastery. Attachment to material possessions of inanimate stature is pointless. Understand this and you will understand how to step closer."_

Alexander looked at Voldemort intently. "I will always support my cousin no matter what, even if it means my life."

"Bold words," Voldemort sneered. "Can you prove them?"

"To you?" Alexander said incredulously. "You are not worth my time."

"Well then," Voldemort said simply, launching a curse that caused Alexander's leg to suddenly shatter. "You are not worth mine either."

Alexander screamed, collapsing onto the floor. He was completely unable to defend himself as Voldemort easily kicked his wand out of his hands.

Gripping the front of Alexander's robes, Voldemort pulled him up to eye level, causing the boy to scream through his gritted teeth as he tried to appear brave.

"No one ever speaks to me like that," Voldemort whispered softly, bringing his wand to Alexander's face.

Through teary eyes, Alexander could only watch in horror as Voldemort's wand tip started glowing with green light.


	29. The Last Will

**A/N:** And completed again! Once again, I thank all my reviewers for motivating me to write!

The Last Will

It was done the moment it began. Tersan studied the speck between his fingers, the most perfect masterpiece he had ever created. But it would also be his last.

"Eirikr," Tersan called abruptly as he released his hand. The miniscule speck of light exploded beautifully into showers of lights as the super compacted matter expanded outwards. "My work is complete."

"This is what you wish?" Eirikr asked, watching as the explosion of matter cooled, forming countless numbers of galaxies. "To live here for the rest of eternity?"

"I'm afraid that I do not have much of a choice," Tersan replied. His voice sounded resigned.

"Tersan?" Eirikr looked at Tersan's eyes intently. "What do you imply by that?"

Tersan laughed softly, leaning backwards in the empty space as the universe completed its expansion. "I'm saying that I gave all my powers to the creation of this world," he replied. As Eirikr's eyes widened in understanding, Tersan smiled. "My power is broken."

"But your power is limitless!" Eirikr protested as he sensed Tersan's power dropping at an alarming rate.

"My power is limited," Tersan admitted. "I may have had the greatest power of all us Eternal beings, but I am not natural."

"What does that have to do with your power?" Eirikr demanded. Personally, Eirikr was considered to be a rather weak _Supremacy_ capable entity, but ever since Tersan came to power, his own had grown to match some of the greatest Eternals. "You can do anything!"

Tersan sighed, turning to his friend sadly. "I can do anything as long as I have the power Eirikr. Since I drew my powers from my avatars, I have now used them up. I have only enough to start civilizations on every planet in this dimension, then I will live peacefully on one of them."

Eirikr reached out to grasp Tersan's shoulder, but the entity dropped out of his reach, closing his eyes as he fell through the starry space. Immediately, the six wings on Tersan's back shattered into countless strands of light, each individual thread heading for a single planet.

"Goodbye friend," Tersan whispered as he grasped the final strand before it could fly away. "I thank you for everything you have done for me." The thread flared brightly and wound itself around Tersan's wrist, pulling him away toward a distant world.

Eirikr looked on in shock as he was suddenly ejected from the dimension, his powerful being tumbling through the emptiness of space before rebounding off of the existing multiverse. Tersan's dimension hung by itself away from the rest of the multiverse, surrounded in a protective cocoon of crackling blue lightning.

"Tersan, what have you done?" Eirikr whispered, clenching his fist tightly as grief suddenly flooded him. "You can't isolate yourself from the rest of the multiverse!" he screamed.

Reaching out with his hand, Eirikr called on his power and tried to take hold of Tersan's universe, but the power around it violently repelled his actions. Eirikr hissed in pain, clutching his hand.

"TERSAN!" Eirikr screamed. "You can't just separate yourself like that! A lone universe does not survive for long if you don't join the rest of the multiverse!"

The dimension continued to drift away from him.

"Don't you understand?" Eirikr threw all of his willpower into his final statement.

"You're going to die!"

( 0 0 0 )

The howling shriek tore apart Voldemort's hold on Alexander, dropping him to the floor. But Alexander did not move to stand. He couldn't move even if he wanted to. The absolute terror from the cry had locked his limbs and mind, petrifying him to the spot.

Voldemort was visibly shaking, his breath coming in absurdly short gasps of high pitched squeaks as he was also frozen in place.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Alexander saw a cloud of fluidic darkness slowly flowing down the corridor, and to his utter horror, he understood what it was.

"C-Colin!" Alexander cried weakly. "S-stop!"

But the young Gryffindor was no longer human. It could not comprehend the words of Alexander Evans. The wraith walked along the ceiling of the corridor, watching the frozen crowd of humans with unreadable emotion from beneath its ambient dark powers.

"W-what is this?" Voldemort demanded, his voice nearly a whisper. "What power…?" An inhuman hand closed on his shoulder. "NO! Get away!" His protests continued in vain as the wraith engulfed the Dark Lord in its darkness, and suddenly vanished with him.

"Alexander!" Harry shouted, running down the hall. "Are you alright?"

Shuddering in relief as the wraith's power subsided, Alexander moaned weakly and laid flat onto the cold stone floor. "I'll be fine," he groaned. "But what about Colin and Voldemort?"

As Harry helped Alexander to his unsteady feet, he glanced at the spot where Voldemort was. "I don't know, but I'm sure that Voldemort wouldn't be able to overcome the wraith."

"You mean Colin?" Alexander asked, glancing at Harry. "I mean, it's just temporary right?"

Harry didn't reply.

"Potter! Look out!" Moody's voice roared down the hall. The warning was unnecessary.

The curse vanished into nothingness as Harry finally called upon the power of Hogwarts itself to contain the intruders. The Death Eaters suddenly found themselves unable to move at all, not even their eyes, though they could still breath.

"That's enough," Harry said softly. "I will permit no more harm to come to Hogwarts or its inhabitants."

"Harry?" Dumbledore had cleared himself of Voldemort's curse, but he was still slightly disoriented from the spell. "Is everyone alright?"

"Professor," Harry said, helping the elderly wizard to stand steady. "Voldemort was taken away by a wraith."

Dumbledore sucked in a sharp intake of breath. "You mean, Colin Creevey?"

Harry nodded solemnly. "I do not know where Colin has taken Voldemort, but all I know is that Voldemort is not having fun at all."

The headmaster chortled. "Perhaps now Tom can truly understand what Dark means."

Alexander scoffed. "I think Voldemort will be too scared to even know why he is scared."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said. Turning his attention to the Death Eaters, he asked, "Now what are we going to do with all of these?"

Harry thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up in inspiration. "We have dungeons right?"

Dumbledore stared at Harry in astonishment, but burst out in laughter. "Excellent suggestion Harry." He motioned toward several Aurors. "Take them to the dungeons!"

The Aurors obeyed the command and tried to summon the Death Eater.

Nothing happened.

"Oops," Harry said sheepishly, chuckling to hide his embarrassment. "I forgot to release them."

The Death Eaters collapsed to the floor the moment they were released from the wards. In their condition, it was easy for the Aurors to bind the Death Eaters and levitate them away.

"Fascinating powers you have Potter," Moody growled as he walked by. "Don't ease up or ever let your guard down. Constant vigilance!"

"I will Professor," Harry replied. The wall behind him opened up to another portion of the castle. "Now that the Death Eaters inside the castle have been taken care of, there are just the ones outside to worry about now." He stepped through.

Dumbledore watched the wall as it closed again, cutting Harry off from view.

( 0 0 0 )

The cool night air felt refreshing to Harry's face and body, relieving him of the stress he had felt while battling the Death Eaters. He could feel the power flowing through the castle, and hear the song of the wards as they hummed with their majestic power.

But all this was being interfered by the presence of those who seek to harm the castle and its inhabitants, causing an unpleasant feeling in Harry's stomach.

Harry groaned in discomfort, irritated at his newfound powers.

"Sometimes, new powers are just more annoying than they are useful," Harry complained, willing the sensation to leave. As the feeling subsided, Harry opened a nearby door and exited onto a balcony overlooking the front grassy grounds where most of the battle was taking place between the Aurors and Death Eaters. Half tempted to test out the castle's capabilities, Harry stilled his itching urge to do something dramatic. There were more important things at hand.

Pulsating unseen within the walls of the castle were powerful dormant defenses the founders had built into the school to repel those who would harm its students. Harry felt the semi-conscious essence of Hogwarts suggest to him what to do, and he followed.

With a deep reverberating rumble, Harry brought to life the ancient defenses of the castle. All combat on the field stopped as the wizards paused to gaze at the marvel unfolding before them.

Hogwarts began to change. The tallest of the towers moved gracefully from the outer edge to the inner areas as it deconstructed into individual bricks, then reassembled back into a tower at its destination. A circular ring of stone ripped out of the ground and encompassed Hogwarts within its boundaries, forming a defensible fortress and barrier around the castle.

The windows of the Great Hall vanished behind great slabs of dark stone that slid into place like covers from hidden places in the walls. The front gate warped and twisted, changing from its elegant design into a fortified, strong magical metal gate in the fortress ring.

Narrow, tall slots appeared in the walls of the towers, spaced evenly around the circumference of the towers. The thick wall around Hogwarts also developed the defensive slots near the top, but what amazed everyone was the appearance of ballistic weaponry on the roof of the fortress wall and massive cannons that sprouted from openings that suddenly appeared around the fortress.

"What the bloody hell is that?" a Death Eater whispered, backing up away from the massive wall.

Kingsley Shacklebolt stood up next to the Dark wizard and also looked up. "I have absolutely no idea."

Without taking his eyes off of the cannons that started to take aim at him, the Death Eaters asked, "Is it too late for me to surrender now?"

Kingsley stared at the cannons. "I think so." He ran.

The Death Eater was left pondering his life, wondering why he would reach the end of his life so simply when the cannons opened fire. Kingsley never looked back, but instead headed for where Hogwarts gates were supposed to be, searching for a way in.

Around the castle fortress, spells flew out of the slots rapidly like arrows while the ballistae on the fortress wall launched explosively enchanted wooden shafts at the crowds of Death Eaters below. It was amazing how many wizards there were.

The cannons fired devastating blasts of destructive power with pinpoint accuracy at the airborne Dementors, blowing apart their vile bodies out the air.

Lightning suddenly crackled from spires that extended from the towers, striking nearly everything standing. Against the overwhelming force of a thousand thunderbolts, the remaining Death Eaters were forced to abandon their attack.

Harry watched everything from the single lone tower he stood upon, wondering what other marvels the founders had hidden into the castle. Faintly, he began to hear cheering from far below him. Looking down, he saw that students had ran out of the castle and rushed to embrace the Aurors defending their school. Apparently some of the Aurors were relatives or friends of the students, Harry thought. He smiled inwardly.

It would be better that they didn't know that he was the one that repelled Voldemort's forces. He had enough of publicity for one day and more.

"BASTARD!"

Harry whirled around in alarm, but he was completely caught off guard by the blindingly fast blow that slammed into the side of his head.

"You caused him to end like this!" the voice snarled again. Harry knew he heard that voice before, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded weakly, trying to shake the dizziness off. "What are you…?"

"SILENCE!" the voice roared. Harry felt himself being picked up. "You and your damn human race!"

Harry blinked his eyes for the last time and caught sight of his attacker. His blood ran cold the moment he met eyes with the person. He was looking at himself.

But the eyes of his attacker were silver.

"Tersan?" Harry breathed. His doppelganger's face contorted with rage as a low growl came from his throat.

"Ignorant fool," his attacker hissed at him, grasping Harry around the neck. "You have caused Tersan to give up his immortality just to experience mortality!"

Harry fought for breath, using all his strength to pry the fingers from his throat. "I never said anything to him like that!" Harry gasped. "Even if he's mortal, he can still live normally."

The doppelganger raised Harry high into the air, causing him to choke in agony as the hand around his neck constricted.

"Tersan is going to die because he wants to live in complete isolation," his doppelganger whispered. "It's all because of you!" He threw him off the tower.

Before Harry could even take a breath to scream, he suddenly found his attacker in the air with him.

"If he will die," his attacker said. "Then so will you." He drew his fist back and slammed it with incredible force into Harry's chest.

Several ribs shattered under the impact, causing Harry excruciating pain as he was pushed down even faster down toward the ground.

"NO!"

Harry was suddenly caught in the air by an unseen force mere inches from the ground. He tried to breathe, and agonizing pain tore through him.

"I will not allow this!" Kyp Eslagard Anthrias warp strode toward them. His image blurred and refocused rapidly as he repeatedly warped toward them in short distances, each step a warp stride. "What do you think you are doing?"

"This does not concern you!" Harry's doppelganger snapped, raising a hand warningly. "Stay out of this mortal!"

"A Supreme being," Kyp said in discontent. "Your kind normally do not interfere in our affairs, but when you do, your people flaunt your powers carelessly without regard to those weaker than you!"

Harry's doppelganger paused, eyeing Kyp curiously. "Who are you?" he asked. "How do you know of our kind?"

"My name is Kyp," Kyp said formally, conjuring a vast cloak around himself. "First Officer Anthrias."

"Impossible," Harry's doppelganger whispered. "I…am deeply regretful." He looked at Kyp intently.

Lying on the ground in pain, Harry didn't notice the silent exchange of information between his clone's mind and Kyp's. "Kyp," Harry whispered.

"Sorry!" Kyp apologized quickly. Flicking his wand out from within his sleeve, he muttered a spell under his breath.

Harry sighed in relief as he could finally breathe easily. He sat up as Kyp lowered him from the levitation charm and regarded his doppelganger warily, who was averting his eyes.

"Hey," Harry called. His doppelganger looked at him. "What's your name?"

His doppelganger didn't reply.

"His name is Eirikr," Kyp replied for him. "He is the Supreme being that made Tersan what he is."

"Made Tersan what he is?" Harry echoed in amazement, standing up. "Eirikr, can I call you that?"

Eirikr nodded. "My most sincere apologies Harry Potter."

"How did you do it?" Harry asked Eirikr.

"His avatars," Eirikr replied. "Tersan's power came from his avatars." He sighed deeply and turned to look at the sky. "I am Eirikr, Supreme being of avatars. I gave Tersan the ability to create avatars in ways no one else had ever done."

Harry frowned. "But how did he become so powerful?"

"Primaries," Eirikr replied, scoffing at himself.

"Primaries?" Harry echoed, confused.

"Harry, if you could have ultimate power in anything, what would you ask for?" Eirikr suddenly asked.

Harry froze, abruptly overwhelmed at the magnitude of the question. "I…I don't know!"

"Tersan knew," Eirikr said. "He wanted everything. Tersan was capable of looking past reality long before he achieved Supremacy thanks to the powers he received from the governors of Atlantis."

Eirikr abruptly changed form into Tersan's appearance. "So he found the fundamental forces of everything: Light, Dark, Life, and Death. These avatars granted him powers no one has ever attained, even for other Supreme beings."

"But what about Creation and Destruction?" Harry asked.

"Ah, those," Eirikr said, smiling broadly. "Those he created when he reached Supremacy. Those two avatars are the reason how Tersan became the greatest of us Supreme Beings."

"There are things even we Supreme beings do not tamper with, such as order and chaos," Eirikr continued. "For our kind, such interactions are very powerful and can even destabilize the entire structure of a multiverse. Somehow, Tersan was able to master the essences and even capture them into avatars under his control."

"What did he do with all that power?" Harry asked.

Eirikr turned to look at Harry in the eyes. "He did nothing." Eirikr's gaze turned soft. "Tersan was only a child when he became the Weapon of Atlantis. There wasn't much of anything he wanted, and never did for a very long time." He studied the defenses Harry had released. "Tersan never actually used the full extent of his powers when he became a Supreme being. Even then, when he did use his powers, it was exerted very sparingly. I didn't know why, but now I understand."

"Eirikr," Harry said. "Why did you say that Tersan was going to die?"

"Because his power was limited!" Eirikr replied, his voice nearly a shout. "Of everything Tersan was capable of, he was unable to expand his powers. Attaining the greatest status of the most powerful Supreme being through the use of avatars came at a price. Power that was great no matter how much or little you had left, but once you use up what you have, that's it. I didn't know about it until it was too late. Tersan drew his powers from his avatars to do anything, and his powers were vast."

"Tersan created a universe for himself to live in," Eirikr said. "Even for a Supreme being, such a task is incredibly draining. For Tersan, it was fatal."

Harry suddenly rushed forward and grasped Eirikr's shoulders. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

Eirikr was unfazed. "Tersan was inspired by your lifestyle to try it out for himself in a place of his own, to rediscover what he missed," he answered. "He hasn't had a proper life in over seven hundred thousand years Harry. You know, you should be grateful that he's finally found some peace."

Harry's grip on Eirikr slipped as his body weakened. Dropping to his knees, he whispered, "This is all my fault! I caused everyone to get hurt around me, and now even Tersan is near the end of his life!"

"You can't blame yourself Harry," Eirikr said sternly. "Regardless of what you did, Tersan would have eventually ended up like this sooner or later."

"And how would you know that?" Harry shouted, his voice breaking.

"Supreme beings know each other very well," Eirikr said, looking down at Harry as he changed into an ancient, powerful looking mage. "I myself have been here far longer than Tersan ever has. To most of us, he has barely moved into embryonic stages, and for him to die so early…"

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered.

Eirikr sighed. "Once again, do not lay yourself at fault. This result was inevitable." He turned. "Kyp."

"Yes?"

"Take Harry back into the castle," Eirikr requested. "Watch over him and protect him from anyone or anything that wishes to harm him. I will be back soon."

Kyp nodded as Eirikr flew upwards and vanished into the sky.

"I, didn't mean for this to happen," Harry tried to explain.

"Do not blame yourself," Kyp said calmly, continuing to look upwards toward the sky. "What matters now is our search for Tersan's world, and if we can convince him to return to power."

Harry stared at Kyp in astonishment. "How can you be so calm about this?"

"I'm not," Kyp replied, finally looking at Harry. "It's just that I see the world differently than you." He tilted his head slightly. "Literally."

Harry stepped back slightly, watching Kyp's penetrating eyes cautiously.

"Don't worry," Kyp said, abruptly laughing. "Even if I can see through solid objects, I respect privacy."

"Can you?" Harry asked slowly.

"Yes," Kyp replied simply, and strode back up toward the castle.

( 0 0 0 )

"What do you mean you won't help?" Eirikr demanded, pushing through the storm of buffeting forces.

The Eternal One's formless body turned away from him, directing the flow of power to another direction. "His path is his own."

"Paths?" Eirikr repeated, stepping in front of the Eternal One, only to be assaulted by his power again. "We're Supreme beings! Paths no longer matter to us!"

The Eternal One placed a hand on Eirikr's shoulder, and the force abated. "You are still young Eirikr, despite what you are. When you match my age and ability, you will understand why."

Eirikr threw aside the Eternal One's hand. "Do not say that," Eirikr said threateningly. "I became a Supreme _because_ my father said that. Now he lives on my former home wishing he had never said that, for because of him, I ascended to Supremacy."

"An honorable path you took," the Eternal One commented. "Did you ascend through the help of others or your own?"

"My own strength!" Eirikr said proudly. Quickly, his excitement faded. "And forever it remains," he added softly, turning his eyes downward.

The Eternal One gazed down at Eirikr's shorter stature sympathetically. "I understand."

Eirikr looked up hopefully. "You're going to help?"

To Eirikr's dismay, the Eternal One shook his head. "Tersan knew the price of using his power to its fullest extent," he said. "Even for me, creating a world was a difficult enough task, let alone a universe filled with life."

"But why?" Eirikr shouted, clutching the immaterial substance of the Eternal One's body. "Why would you just let him die?"

"That is his wish," the Eternal One explained. "_I_ would not like it if Tersan decided to interfere in _my_ affairs!"

Realizing that the conversation was over, Eirikr left. There would be no one else willing to help, for Tersan's reputation among their kind deterred others from crossing his path.

Eirikr would simply have to wait until Tersan's power fails, allowing him to speak with him, but also to witness his death.

"Tersan!" Eirikr cried out, unconsciously recalling all his memories of him. While there was no relationship between the two aside from mutual friendship, the sheer amount of magical interactions between the entities have nearly entwined them together.

"You called?"

Eirikr whirled around in shock. "Tersan!"

The formerly most powerful Supreme being smiled softly, causing his body to suddenly flicker. "I'm only here in image," said Tersan. "There is something you must do for me."

A scroll of paper appeared in Eirikr's hand.

"What is this?" Eirikr asked breathlessly, turning the scroll over.

"That is my last will," Tersan said, his smile disappearing. "Give it to Harry."

Eirikr nodded feverishly. "I will."

"Good," Tersan said approvingly. "Then all is done." His image started to fade.

"If I may ask," Eirikr said quickly. Tersan's image returned. "What are you giving to Harry?"

Tersan looked at Eirikr. "If I could, I would have left it to you," he said softly. "Unfortunately, you are incompatible."

As Eirikr stared at Tersan in confusion, Tersan became solid for a few seconds as he patted Eirikr reassuringly on his shoulder.

"Make sure Harry receives it," Tersan said, becoming immaterial again. "You should understand now."

Eirikr shook slightly, clutching the scroll tighter.

"I am giving Harry all of my power."


	30. The Chance to See

**A/N:** Not much to say about this chapter, just that it's done. I thank all my reviewers for reviewing, and will always accept their suggestions and comments. All of you have been inspirational to my story. Whether you know it or not, the more you say, the more ideas I get from you to write my story. For some odd reason, I have a habit of ending almost every chapter with a cliff. I have no idea why I do that!

Anyway, the chapter is done, and I'm read to accept all that you have to say!

The Chance to See

_Kyp pulled out his wand as he suddenly caught sight of Harry's falling body from his observing tower. "Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, swishing and flicking his wand. Harry's body slowed immediately and drifted safely downwards. _

_In a blinding speed of movement, the Supreme being that had attacked Harry appeared on the ground, raising his hand for the finishing blow. Kyp moved forward quickly, making his power known. _

"_This is my realm."_

_Eirikr looked up from Harry's hovering body. "That is not your concern mortal."_

"_You nearly killed one of my charges," Kyp said softly. "Do not underestimate my power, or mistaken me for someone else."_

"_I know who you are, Kyp of Eslagard," Eirikr snapped, gazing intently into Kyp's sharp stare. "Second in command to Tersan Anthrias."_

"_Then you understand why I cannot allow you to harm him," Kyp responded. Though Kyp and Eirikr weren't speaking, they heard each other clearly in their minds._

"_Tersan is going to die because of him!" Eirikr shouted, causing Kyp to recoil slightly at the force of his mind's voice._

"_Was the death of Harry's parents his fault just because he was mentioned in a prophecy?" Kyp demanded, recovering. "Or was it your fault that Tersan destroyed Atlantis because you gave him the power to?"_

"_Harry is not responsible of Tersan's condition no more than I am of Colin Creevey's transformation into a wraith!" Kyp scolded, cutting off Eirikr's unsaid statement. "I don't why you believe Harry is the cause, but I believe that you should ask Tersan himself why he would want to die after all this time."_

"_He doesn't speak to me!" Eirikr protested. _

"_Then wait until he _is_ ready to speak," Kyp said, raising his voice. "Or have you lost all your patience as a Supreme being, Eirikr?"_

_Eirikr didn't reply for a moment. "How did you know my name?"_

"_Tersan informed me of a companion by the name of Eirikr would join him in a project," Kyp said. "He also told that this person is a Supreme type being, and I was to keep a close eye on his actions if he walks on Earth at any time."_

"_He doesn't trust me?" Eirikr asked incredulously. _

"_He was unsure of your ability to control your power while on a mortal world," Kyp replied. "Tersan must have been worried that you might inadvertently damage the world due to your lack of experience living on a planet."_

"_What does that have to do with…?"_

"_That I do not know," Kyp said. "As I said before, you must ask Tersan."_

"_You don't care if he dies?" Eirikr asked. _

_Kyp sighed. "I do, but I know where to find him even if he does, so I am not worried about losing contact with him."_

"_A Supreme being does not leave anything behind after their death," Kyp objected. "That is why Supremacy is the final stage of anything! You don't even leave a soul behind to be cycled back into life!"_

"_I know that," Kyp said simply. "But then, you don't know Tersan that well."_

"_How could you possible know if you have not even glimpsed Supremacy with your own eyes?"_

"_I never said I haven't." Kyp waved his hand over Harry, lowering him to the ground. "I told you not to understand my power Eirikr, for I am also Supremacy capable."_

_As Eirikr stiffened in shock, Kyp continued, "If Tersan is the Supreme being of Infinity, then I am the Supreme being of Negative Infinity."_

"_Negative!" Eirikr breathed. "The opposite force of true magic!"_

"_Yes," Kyp said. "That would mean that I alone have the power to defeat Tersan in direct combat, no matter the amount of power or master over magic he has."_

"_But you…" Eirikr was stunned with horror and amazement._

"_Don't seem like the type do I?" Kyp chuckled. "Looks can be deceiving, as Sheredar always told me. I have only reached Supremacy once, but I don't like what I am." Taking a look at Eirikr's confused expression, he explained, "Negative Infinity, despite all that it is capable of, takes away everything that makes you human. Negative means negative Eirikr. For the brief period I was Supreme, I was terrified by what I could do."_

"_But you would use your ability if you had to?"_

"_Without hesitation," Kyp said firmly. He glanced down at Harry, who was still drifting downwards toward the ground. "Our speed and the speed of mortals differ by much, doesn't it?"_

_Eirikr's eyes crossed as he noticed a small insect flying absurdly slowly past his face. "What's your point?"_

_Kyp sighed. "Please be a little more courteous toward Harry when we return to normal time if you don't mind. He probably has no idea who you are or what you are talking about, so choose your words carefully."_

_Eirikr was a Supreme being, capable of doing things no mortal could possible dream of in their entire lifetime. Embarrassment was something a Supreme being leaves behind when ascending to Supremacy. Eirikr was no exception when he was suddenly struck dumb._

_Kyp smirked inwardly. "Can you do that?"_

_Eirikr fought with his mouth for a few moments. "Y-yes," he finally replied, and entered real-time._

'Stupid, impulsive Supreme beings,' Kyp thought. 'More like Supreme bastards… Just what is their problem about not finding out everything before making an accusation or assumption?'

Kyp sighed as he walked through the corridors of the school, heading towards the dungeons for his next class. For some reason, potions just seemed to calm his mind whenever he was stressed about something. Tersan had been acting rather unusual since he met Harry personally.

It could be said that Tersan was finally becoming more…human. According to what Tersan had told him, Kyp understood that Tersan had been a human child for a short amount of time before Atlantis went to war and made him its weapon.

Pushing open the classroom's door, Kyp was surprised to find it empty, until he suddenly remembered that the day's events had all the students in their dormitories until the teachers announced it safe to return to lessons.

A sudden shuffling of feet caught his attention as the potions teacher Professor Horace Slughorn approached him from behind. Snape was still on the run after he murdered Dumbledore. Kyp didn't know where he was, nor did he really care. Dumbledore was alive, thanks to Tersan. That was all he cared for now.

"Kyp!" Slughorn called happily. "I heard that young Harry has once again saved the school from You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters. It's wonderful, don't you think?" Slughorn paused as he remembered something. "What are you doing out of your dormitories anyway?"

"We were released," Kyp lied. "Lessons were canceled for the day by Professor Dumbledore." Now _that_ was true.

"Jolly good!" Slughorn laughed. "Since that's the case, why don't you join your friends and play?"

Kyp smiled back broadly as any other student would at their favorite teacher. "Well, I wanted to get started early on our next assignment," he said. "With your help of course," he added after a pause."

Slughorn laughed jovially. "No problem at all lad! Come inside!"

As Kyp followed Slughorn inside, he wondered about one thing. Since when did he tell the professor his name? Kyp shrugged. It must have been Alexander, telling everyone about his new friends. Typical actions of a mortal child…

"Tersan, you had better NOT die on me," Kyp muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Slughorn asked, pausing in the middle of setting a cauldron on a desk. "Did you say something to me?"

"Oh nothing!" Kyp said quickly, flashing the teacher another eager smile. "Just reciting something I read."

Assured, Slughorn continued to prepare the lesson.

( 0 0 0 )

Harry fell back onto his back on the grass, dizzy and confused.

"Just what the bloody hell happened?" Harry muttered, putting his head into his hands. "My life is getting too confusing."

"Harry? What're you doing on the grass?"

Harry raised a hand and gave a weak wave. "Hey Alex."

Alexander walked over and sat down cross-legged. "You still haven't answered my question."

"Don't really know," Harry replied. He took his other hand off and turned onto his side, looking at his cousin directly. "Alex, do you think our lives have been very complicated since we met Tersan?"

"Huh?" Alexander stared at Harry for a moment. "Well, you could say that."

"Has it been for the better or worse?"

"I…" Alexander paused, uncertain on how to answer. "I'm not sure."

"We've gotten all these powers," said Harry. "We can do almost anything we want, even take over the world!"

"Take over the world?" Alexander repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Joking," Harry chuckled. "But what do you _think_? Has our lives gotten better or worse?"

"I think better," Alexander said after a moment. "I mean, your mom and dad are waiting at home for you, aren't they?"

Harry smiled at the mention of his parents. "Yes, you're right," he agreed. "So my life actually has gotten better." He lay back onto the grass. "But what about Voldemort?"

"What about him?"

"What if he comes back?"

Alexander scratched his nose as he thought. "Well, when he comes back, we'll take him out."

Harry glanced over. "We?"

"Why not?"

Harry turned his eyes up toward the sky. "Yeah. Why not?"

( 0 0 0 )

The true, formless body of Eirikr drifted without definite form as it watched Tersan's universe drift further away from the rest of the multiverse.

"Why, Tersan?"

Smaller, ethereal forms darted around Eirikr, orbiting at random speeds and directions, changing distances and trajectories without warning.

"What do you see in mortality that you must experience it for yourself?"

Eirikr sighed, causing the small wisps to disperse momentarily.

"I don't ever suppose I'll ever understand you, will I?" Eirikr wondered. "If you could only just…"

"What do you wish to know?"

Abruptly, Eirikr found himself standing on a lush green grassy plain, under the warm rays of four suns overhead. He was no longer formless, but instead in Tersan's form.

"Tersan!" Eirikr cried.

Tersan sighed. "Do you have to do that every time you talk to me?" he asked amusedly.

"You're going to die!" Eirikr exploded. "How else can you expect me to act?"

Tersan sighed, leaning against a nearby tree. "You can enjoy your time here while you can," Tersan suggested. "It's actually quite peaceful."

"You must be insane," Eirikr deadpanned.

Tersan laughed, sounding very much like a boy of his age. "I'm trying to find what I missed in the childhood I should have had. You achieved Supremacy when you were far older than I was."

Eirikr nodded slowly in understanding. "But you have to be mortal in order to achieve that."

"That's right," said Tersan. "That is why I must give my power to someone trustworthy, someone who will use it for a good purpose."

"Tersan," Eirikr said softly. "I can't do this."

For several moments, there was nothing but the sound of wind blowing across the grassy plain.

"Terry!" a young girl's voice called.

Tersan jerked, nearly slipping off the tree he was leaning on. "Cicalene!"

The girl called Cicalene was about fourteen, running toward Tersan in a flowery dress that fluttered in the wind. A small circlet of flowers was on her head, nearly falling off in her hurry.

"Terry, why did you leave?" she pouted, poking Tersan in the stomach. "You missed mommy's speech!"

Eirikr stared at Tersan in mild astonishment. "Terry?" he snorted. "Since when was that your name?"

"Who's he?" Cicalene asked, turning childishly curious eyes on Eirikr. "Is he your twin brother?"

"No, no, I'm just his friend," Eirikr said, laughing. "So you name's Cicalene?"

Cicalene nodded, smiling widely. Eirikr was slightly amused that her two front teeth were missing.

"How old are you?"

Cicalene clasped her hands behind her back and swayed side-to-side, slightly shy at Eirikr, and yet comfortable because of his appearance. "Fourteen," she said proudly, holding her head up. "How old are you?"

Eirikr paused, choosing a number. "Twelve," he said, given Tersan's physical appearance. It wouldn't seem sensible to the girl that he was nearly a million years old.

"That's funny!" the girl giggled. "You are twelve, and Terry is thirteen! And you two look the same!"

"Cicalene," Tersan said. "Why don't you go back to the party? I'll be back there in a few minutes."

Like a predictable child to her friend, Cicalene smiled eagerly and nodded. "Sure," she said. "But only if you promise."

Tersan sighed, amused. "I promise."

Smiling at Eirikr one more time, Cicalene ran across the grass.

"Terry?" Eirikr repeated, smirking.

Tersan rolled his eyes, sighing in exasperation. "Tersan Anthrias is not a human name, or at least one a human would use," Tersan explained, pulling a leaf from his hair that had fallen on it. "So I simply resorted to the closes name that matches my real name."

"So your name would be Terry Ant?" Eirikr joked.

"Most certainly not!" Tersan protested, pushing himself from the tree, standing firmly on his feet.

"Did I hit a nerve?" Eirikr chuckled, raising his hands.

Tersan took a deep breath and rolled his eyes, ignoring the question. "I cannot feel any form of emotion for the people here," Tersan said. "Well, personal emotions that is."

"Only general feelings?" Eirikr asked.

"When was the last time you tried to love someone and failed?" Tersan asked, looking intently at Eirikr.

"About sixty years ago," Eirikr replied. "It seems that I lack certain mortal traits."

"Emotions, correct?"

Eirikr nodded. "Being Supreme does have its drawbacks. All our power is controlled directly by our mind and emotions, but only generally by emotions."

"Perhaps it is a balance," Tersan thought aloud. "A way to prevent us from being ruled by our feelings."

"It keeps up from losing ourselves to petty nuisances such as the desire for power or revenge," Eirikr suggested. "Thus, we cannot become attached to something even of we wanted to."

Tersan looked at Eirikr curiously. "Then why do you seek to keep my life active if you are not attached to me or have no desire for power?"

Eirikr sent his power into the ground, stimulating a tree to grow rapidly out of the ground. "Stability Tersan," explained Eirikr, leaning on the newly grown tree. "You presence secures my position among other Supreme beings. No one else would be able to impose power on me like they used to before."

"Too broad for personal gain," Tersan noted. "Spoken like a true Supreme being." He glanced off in the distance. "But _my_ goal aims are different than yours." He turned back toward Eirikr. "Bring my will to Harry. His acceptance of my power will allow me to be released of everything that prevents me from being human."

Eirikr became alarmed. "Why can't you use your magic to create the emotions for you?"

"Because then the feelings wouldn't be real!" Tersan turned away, looking upwards toward the multiple suns. "I would have to make a conscious effort to feel every time I'm supposed to! I want to feel the feelings that are supposed to come to me the way a human would feel!"

"What does that have to do with your power?" Eirikr demanded, his voice rising.

"Everything!" Tersan shouted. "Because of the amount of power I wield!" Tersan's breaths came in heavy gasps. "There's so much of it, it's like I'm completely swamped with an earsplitting white noise!"

Lightning suddenly crackled from the clear sky from his sudden anger. Tersan looked up in alarm and closed his eyes, calming himself down.

"There is no convincing you, is there?" Eirikr raised his hand, and Tersan's will was suddenly visible on his palm. "What if I refuse to give this to Harry?"

Tersan's expression was coldly serious. "Then I will use my power the way it was designed for, conquest. I will carry out my intended purpose on the Supremacy scale and conquer all that exists." He turned his gleaming silver eyes toward Eirikr. "I can, and will succeed if I try."

"What would you gain?" Eirikr asked, his voice soft.

"You remember that my power is near its end, do you not?" said Tersan. "Once I conquer everything, my power will be spent, and I will become mortal." Eirikr's eyes widened as he started to understand.

"When I lose my power, I will be given my chance to live life as a mortal," Tersan continued. "The problem is, everything else will be seeking revenge against me, including you." Tersan chuckled wryly. "My little life will be short lived," he scoffed.

Eirikr clenched the will gently in his hand. "So it's an all or nothing situation, isn't it?"

"Close enough," Tersan answered, his silver eyes changing into calm brown. "If Harry _does_ accept it though…"

"He's going to hate you," Eirikr said flatly.

"That is inevitable, unavoidable," Tersan sighed. "The price of mortality."

"If you insist," Eirikr muttered in defeat.

"Oh good!" Tersan exclaimed, brightening. "On your way then."

Before Eirikr could reply, he found himself again on Earth, in front of Hogwarts' new fortress gates.

"His power is truly amazing," he said quietly. "Moving a Supreme being without their consent with no effort…" He sighed again. "I'll never understand why you would want to give up everything you have just to live the mortal life you worked so hard to escape."

( 0 0 0 )

"Harry!" a voice echoed down the hall.

Harry turned around and stiffened, catching sight of his mirror person walking toward him.

"Can I help you?" Harry said tensely, his fingers tightening on his wand.

"Actually, I came to apologize," Eirikr replied sheepishly. He noticed Harry's expression. "A simple sorry isn't going to cover it, is it?"

Harry didn't reply.

Eirikr sighed. "Tersan wants to be human," he exhaled.

"What?" Harry lost his grip on his wand, staring at Eirikr in astonishment. "You're crazy!"

"What would be the point of making that up?" Eirikr asked. "He's been inspired by you to experience mortal life again."

"And why would he want to do that?" Harry asked incredulously.

"How to explain this…" Eirikr muttered. An idea came to mind. "Harry, if you were given the chance to relive your entire life, would you take it?"

Harry's breath caught in his throat. "Go back to the…"

"Beginning? Yes." A scroll materialized in Eirikr's right hand. "With this you can," said Eirikr, sending the scroll to Harry.

"What's this?" Harry asked, taking it. He opened the blank wax seal and unrolled the paper. It was rather short. "Oh…"

_Last Will_

_I, Tersan Anthrias, Weapon of Atlantis, Enforcer of the Governors, do hereby state my last wishes to be carried out upon opening of this will. _

_The account Anthrias negative zero zero five is hereby authorized to the name Harry James Potter with a net worth of five hundred and ten trillion galleons._

_The city Atlantis Anew in the Artic region is hereby under the governing authority of the name Harry James Potter._

_The power of the Weapon of Atlantis is hereby granted fully and in its complete entirety to the one by the name of Harry James Potter._

_Speak "Accept."_

_Tersan Anthrias_

"This is…" Harry breathed. "But wills are written when people die!"

"There is a slight difference between wills written today and wills that are written by Atlantians," Eirikr explained. "I believe you are supposed to say something to allow the will to work."

"Why is he giving me all this?" Harry whispered, reading the will once more. "_Five hundred and ten trillion_…!"

"Money is worthless to us," Eirikr told him. "So is land or any sort of sentimental object."

"And what is Atlantis Anew?"

Eirikr scratched his chin. "If I recall correctly, Tersan rebuilt the city of Atlantis for some odd reason. There's nothing in it, but the magic used to create it is still there," Eirikr said. "It may be of some interest to you or others if you bring anybody there."

Harry read the last detail several times. "Just what is he doing giving me his powers?"

"You recall that I told you Tersan wanted to return to mortality?" Eirikr abruptly vanished and reappeared next to Harry. "In order for him to do that, he has to give up all the magical powers he acquired when he became the Weapon."

"He'll be powerless!" Harry nearly shouted, whirling to face him.

"Not entirely," Eirikr said. "Tersan was born with quite an amount of power in the first place." He scratched his chin again. "Since he's Atlantian, the power that he had as a mortal is significantly more powerful than anything you're used to in this lifetime."

"How strong?" Harry asked, curious.

"I can't say," Eirikr thought aloud. "He hasn't had practice for so long that he's probably around the level of Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore!" Harry exclaimed. "But the Headmaster is…!"

"As I said," Eirikr interrupted. "More powerful that what you're used to. He'll become vulnerable to attack, but with such a significant difference in power and skill, Tersan should be more than able to take care of himself."

Harry clenched his hand, but released it in surprise when the parchment didn't flex. "I can't do this! I can't just take Tersan's power and leave him like that!" Harry protested.

"Who said that you were leaving him like that?" Eirikr wondered casually. "It's his choice to become mortal, and who else better to handle his power than you?"

Harry looked away for several moments. "Why me?" Harry asked finally.

"Because you are the closest thing to a friend ever since Tersan became the Weapon," Eirikr explained patiently. "More than that, he is confident that you…will use his power for good, peaceful purposes."

"Couldn't he have chosen someone else instead of me?" Harry insisted.

"Would you rather him give all this power to Voldemort?" Eirikr suggested. "I think I could convince him to do that I if I tried." He turned around and the space around started to bend.

"No!" Harry exploded, then calmed himself. "I see your point. Where is Voldemort anyway?"

"Stuck somewhere between this world and the next, wherever that is," Eirikr muttered. "Will you accept?"

Harry took a slow breath. "Alright. I could try."

"Oh good," Eirikr said approvingly, dispelling the warp. "You can do as the will says."

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"Say accept," Eirikr said casually.

Harry looked confused. "Accept," he said, and his world changed forever.

A pillar of light tore out from the ground, ripping apart the ceiling and out of the castle into the infinite depths of open space. Harry was caught in the middle of the light, watching in amazement as the world around him rapidly distorted and vanished into the expanding light.

"I only said that I wanted to try!" Harry screamed, barely able to see the Supreme being through the light.

Eirikr looked at Harry effortlessly through the light, his eyes emotionless. "For power of this level Harry, there is no such thing as trying," he said softly. "This choice was made by you, and now you must stand by it." Eirikr smiled inwardly. "You have been given the chance to see a future where everything is what you wanted. Bland terms, but you will understand when you get there."

Harry could no longer hear the being's words. The light was blinding, even through his tightly closed eyes. Screaming, Harry lost all his senses as he vanished into the light.

( 0 0 0 )

In another universe, completely separated from the rest, there was a party taking place on a single world among the countless worlds in one of the countless galaxies.

Tersan Anthrias sipped the juice in his hand, looking around him calmly at the happily partying people surrounding him. He was standing casually close to a tree while a group of girls talked avidly next to him.

Abruptly, Tersan stiffened tensely, as though he was possessed. But as soon as it came, Tersan relaxed.

This time, a new, amazed look came into his eyes. Searching around, Tersan found the person he was looking for and moved.

An unexplainable emotion was building up inside his chest, and he had absolutely no idea what it was. All he knew was that he had to say what his body wanted him to say.

"Cicalene," Tersan called, his voice abruptly shaking with nervousness.

The girl turned away from her friends and looked at him, startled by the look of seriousness on Tersan's face.

"You're beautiful."

( 0 0 0 )

Eirikr stood in the empty corridor, looking at the untouched stone floor. Everything was as though nothing had ever happened.

"The truth is Harry," Eirikr said to the empty air. "Tersan's greatest power as the Weapon is not judgment, but the ability to see the consequences of every possible action that could possibly be committed by anything and everything." Eirikr turned and walked down the corridor, his footsteps echoing loudly down the hall.

"The final chapter of Tersan's life is complete, ending his story," Eirikr said over his shoulder. "Now, a new one has just begun."

As Eirikr's reached the end of the hall, he turned and looked down the empty corridor.

"You do know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

Smiling to himself, Eirikr vanished as the torches went out, plunging the corridor into darkness.


	31. Question from the Author

Who wants a sequel?


	32. Granted

Sequel request granted!


End file.
